Troubled by Emotion
by Arctic Zero
Summary: When word spreads out that the Might of Demacia harbors feelings for Noxus's Sinister Blade, he is exiled out of Demacia. What would his journey be like?
1. The Exile

It was a frosty night in Freljord, and Queen Ashe was holding a feast for her people. Sitting on one of the thrones was King Tryndamere, who was looking on as the people cheered, drank, ate, danced and sang to their hostess's health. Queen Ashe was walking in the midst of her people, greeting them in lieu of Tryndamere, who handled the invitations and preparations for the feast. The hall was warm despite of the icy walls, and the smell of mead and meat permeated the air. Everyone was in high spirits, but the hall went silent when they spotted someone in the crowd. Queen Ashe turned to where everyone else was looking; even King Tryndamere stood up and walked to Ashe's side.

The fabled Might of Demacia stood at the entrance, but his front was only a shadow for the moonlight shone upon his back. With a wave of her hand, Queen Ashe signaled the feast to continue. Everyone returned to their original state in respect for their queen, but they were a bit confused as to why the Might of Demacia would be here. Some of the drunk ones thought he might be here to join the feast and be merry. Someone even mentioned that Garen might be a secret suitor of the queen or the king himself. Many rumors have been floating about the Might of Demacia, but one struck true. He's been harboring feelings for the Sinister Blade of Noxus, and it's been said that Jarvan IV had caught wind of it. Whatever reason Garen had, he did not approach any further. Perhaps in respect of the King and Queen for he did not want to intrude.

Tryndamere approached Garen and clasped his shoulder in greeting. "Greetings, oh Might of Demacia. What brings you to our feast tonight?" he said.

Garen made no response. Tryndamere looked at Ashe. Ashe returned the look with the same amount of confusion found in the King's eyes. Feeling someone hospitable, Ashe approached Garen as well.

"Maybe a word in private?" suggested Ashe.

Garen nodded. Tryndamere and Ashe had a moment of staring at each other, and they somehow concluded that Tryndamere would talk to Garen and Ashe would supervise the feast. Tryndamere watched his queen walk off back into the crowd, and Tryndamere led Garen into a guest cave (since the home of Tryndamere and Ashe were a large series of icy caverns) and made Garen sit down on the cot. Garen had an empty look in his eyes, and Tryndamere couldn't be his usual self when an esteemed League Champion such as Garen was acting like an empty shell of the man he really was.

"What brings you here at this hour, Garen?" Tryndamere asked.

"I come to seek refuge..." replied Garen, devoid of emotion.

"Refuge? From what?" Tryndamere inquired, now curious.

"I'll tell more details when you and Ashe are able to hear it simultaneously," Garen said, then removed the magic spell that held his sword to his back and leaned it against the wall near the cot.

Tryndamere thought he could respect the man's decision, so he nodded and left the guest cave and returned to the feast. A few hours later, when everyone either went home or passed out in the gathering hall, Ashe and Tryndamere went to where Garen was sitting. Ashe had been briefed by Tryndamere along the way of what Garen told him. When they arrived, Garen was exactly the same when Tryndamere left him.

"I'm here, Might of Demacia. Perhaps you'd tell us why you are seeking refuge?" Ashe mentioned, sitting beside the seemingly depressed champion. Tryndamere leaned his back against the wall, listening in. Ashe always had a way of getting information.

"First of all, I apologize for appearing unannounced to your home," Garen started.

'Hmm... So he's not here on behalf of the Institute of War...' Ashe thought. She then said, "Oh, it's not a problem."

"I come here to seek refuge... for I have been exiled out of my home, Demacia," Garen said. "The Prince ordered it himself, after discovering that I had some affection towards the Sinister Blade, Katarina."

"The Sinister Blade? Why, I'd banish you too-" Tryndamere started but was cut off with an icy glance from Ashe.

"So the rumor is true, then, that you have feelings for Katarina," Ashe mentioned.

"It is true, but I do not let it get the better of me on or off the Fields of Justice, nor in Demacia or anywhere in Valoran," The Fields of Justice is a special place where League Champions do battle and settle fights.

"Except here," Ashe said smartly.

"Yes, that is true..." Garen admitted.

Hoping that she could give a fellow champion a modicum of hope, Ashe gave Garen's shoulder a pat before saying, "Well, you can call this your home as long as you do not bring trouble to us, o' Might of Demacia."

As soon as he heard that, Garen smiled, then looked at Tryndamere. Tryndamere gave a nod in agreement, and Garen returned the nod.

"I thank you, King and Queen."

"Oh please, I prefer to be called by my name, not title," Tryndamere stated. Ashe tilted her head with a shrug, showing how she has mutual feelings with Tryndamere.

"Well, now that this issue is settled, we must get rest. Don't run away in the middle of the night, Garen," Ashe said, and started walking to her own room.

"If any trouble stirs and it's not of your doing, you can handle it while we're not there, right?" Tryndamere said to Garen, trying to raise Garen's self-esteem. Garen nodded, and when the two exited his cave, he removed his armor and lay down on the cot, closing his eyes to get some rest. The Might of Demacia really hadn't gotten any sleep since his exile.

It was a hazy field of tall grass, and Garen found himself in the middle of it. He tried running out of the field, but to no avail. It seemed like the tall grass ran for miles and miles on end, and there was just no end to it. Garen defiantly kept walking, knowing that he'll eventually get out of this field of grass. But then, Garen had the great idea of just clearing out a patch to be able to lay down on or to set up waypoints so he won't walk in circles. Every now and then, Garen used Judgement, spinning around with his sword for three seconds while moving forward, cutting tall grass in his way. When he was finally exhausted, Garen hid in the tall grass and rested, but a haunting voice started to fill his head.

'Garen...' The voice called. 'Garen...'

Upon further investigation, he saw Katarina with her red hair and black outfit standing in a clear patch of grass that he had just passed. He approached her with his sword lowered, and when he was in front of her, he saw Katarina vanish in a flash, and the next thing he knew was that he was staring up at the sky. The night sky was nebulous, filled with plenty of stars which reminded Garen of his home, Demacia. Soon, Katarina approached Garen from what would have been behind him, and she knelt down by his head, a dagger's blade resting on his throat.

"Nice to see you again, Garen," Katarina said, putting a little pressure on the blade upon his throat.

"You caught me off guard once again, Sinister Blade," Garen mentioned casually, but he raised his sword and lightly bopped Katarina's head with the flat of his blade. Katarina released Garen and helped him stand up, despite Garen wearing his heavy armor and all.

"I heard you were exiled," Katarina said while throwing a few daggers at Garen.

Garen blocked the daggers with the big width of his sword and answered, "Yes, and you had a hand in it."

The two danced around with their blades, clashing and hitting and ringing of metal filled the field of tall grass, until eventually, Garen was exhausted. Katarina went over to Garen and lifted his chin up, while placing her dagger's tip on his throat. Garen grabbed Katarina's wrist and fought hard not to make Katarina plunge it into his windpipe.

"Tell me, why haven't you killed me when you've had so many chances of doing so?" Garen inquired.

Katarina gave it a bit of thought, "I wouldn't have a fun rival if I did," she retorted. The two eventually stopped struggling with the dagger and Katarina held Garen's cheek. "If you die under someone else's hands, I'll never forgive you."

"Garen..." the haunting voice called again. "Garen...!"

Garen slowly opened his eyes and found Ashe and her white hair tucked behind her ears as she was bent over, shaking his shoulder, as well as her green eyes staring down at his face. Ashe sighed.

"Good, you're awake..." Ashe said, standing back up straight and put her hands on her waist, "Breakfast is ready, and it doesn't get any better if we saved it for later, so I figured I'd wake you."

"Many thanks for your consideration..." Garen said, getting up out of his cot and standing up. As he stood up, Ashe had to tilt her head a bit upward as Garen was a tall man.

"Follow me," Ashe said, before starting to walk to the gathering hall.

"Ah, the great Might of Demacia! Come, come! The food is perfect!" Tryndamere greeted Garen as he and Ashe entered the gathering hall. It was obvious something had happened for him to be so happy. Garen sat down on Tryndamere's left, while Ashe sat on Tryndamere's right. The three ate, conversing every now and then. Tryndamere and Ashe took special care not to get on the topic of Garen's exile. They talked about their prowess on the Fields of Justice, and eventually they drifted into more personal topics, such as rumors of Ashe being pregnant or how Garen liked tall grass. It was true, for Garen, because he always utilized the element of surprise on the Fields of Justice. However, Ashe didn't quite like the rumor that she was pregnant.

It was already late morning when they began eating, so by the time noon came around, the trio had just finished eating and a courier approached Garen and Tryndamere when the latter was training Garen better on how to "spin2win" while Ashe watched. The letter that the courier sent mentioned that Garen was to be summoned in a battle in the Fields of Justice in a blind pick. Garen geared up and was ready to go by afternoon, and he was conversing with Tryndamere and Ashe while waiting to be summoned. As soon as blue rings of light appeared around Garen, he clasped Tryndamere's shoulder while Tryndamere did the same, and Ashe gave Garen a hug as best as she could, for she couldn't completely wrap her arms around the big champion. Tryndamere and Ashe watched as Garen got summoned to Summoner's Rift.

"Say, don't you think we make good parents?" Tryndamere asked.

Ashe lightly pushed Tryndamere's arm and smiled, "Well, it's best if we spectated on our 'son's' battle, right?" she said, pulling on Tryndamere's leg.

Tryndamere blinked as his own plan to make Ashe feel somewhat flustered backfired. He shook his head and the two sat down on their thrones, setting up a magic ward that displayed the Field of Justice. 


	2. Turning of A Leaf

There were five champions on each side. There was Garen, Annie, Tristana, Warwick and Pantheon on the one team. To be honest, Garen wasn't close to any of them, and he could tell there was only one way to win; communication. As the champions stood in a circle in their base, they all started buying their starting items, Garen going for Doran's Blade. He noticed that the girl named Annie kept staring at him wide-eyed, and he couldn't help but wonder if there was something on his face. He held respect for her, because she was only a child yet she could destroy other champions in the Fields of Justice. He was happy that the people on his team were on his team, mainly because Tristana has the urge to shoot something every 5 seconds, while Warwick can dress up as your grandma and lie in her bed waiting for you to come, and Pantheon looks like a guy who led 300 men and destroyed an army with them. Garen had nothing to boast as for other abilities, but maybe he can be a water sprinkler and cast Judgement to sprinkle water while spinning. It works, he's tried it once already.

While heading down towards the bottom lane, Garen was tailed by Annie. She mostly followed him out of sheer curiosity or something, because she still had this sparkle in her eyes. Garen thought she was in awe because of his fame, but really, fame has nothing to do with what goes on in a child's mind. Well, maybe a little. Garen would turn to strike up a little confidence booster for the child, but every time he saw that look on her face, he just couldn't form a sentence without feeling full of himself. It felt like forever, but minions started spawning. Garen sighed and waited in the bushes. Once opportunity came, he used Judgement and came out of the bushes to farm. He repeated this cycle until finally, he had enough to stack two more Doran's Blades and Boots of Speed. Surprisingly, he hadn't encountered any champions down his lane, but he noticed that the minions were disappearing without obvious cause, and the enemy minions were able to push into their tower. At once, he did more farming with Judgement and took Boots of Swiftness to run faster.

Annie was on Garen's tail the whole time, stealing a few of his minion kills to rack up some gold herself. She'd been out on the lane for quite a while, but she knew who was causing the push on the bottom lane. Garen had a hunch, but he never knew until he saw her. For a moment, the minions' battle was equal, and the fighting was between the two towers from both teams. Garen just returned to get a B.F. Sword and was in the process of completing Infinity Edge when he returned to the lane and saw what he thought wouldn't happen. It was Katarina. Once the two saw each other, they froze in their spot, but Garen ran away from Katarina's field of vision and hid in a bush. A dagger was thrown at him and his shoulder armor took it. He moved slowly, thinking it was just coincidence, but another dagger hit him again a few seconds later.

"Have you seen my bear Tibbers?" Annie asked Garen.

"What?" Garen retorted, looking at Annie.

"My bear! Have you seen him?"

"We don't have time to look for a lost toy," Garen remarked, then looked back at the farming Katarina. He was amazed by her beauty and grace in the field against the minions.

Annie pouted and started whining, but when Garen "shushed" her, Annie started to cry. Katarina heard the little girl cry and immediately ran to the bush, her daggers primed. She jumped up and aimed her daggers down at the bush, like fangs from an incoming predator, and Garen had to pick up Annie - who was silenced by the sudden lift - and ran away with the boost that Decisive Strike gave him. He retreated to the tower and put Annie down.

"Have you checked your backpack?" Garen inquired, looking behind him to see if they were being chased.

Annie took her backpack and unzipped it, rummaging through it until she pulled out a stuffed bear, "There he is!"

Garen gave a sigh then prepared for the incoming wave of minions, with the possibility of Katarina right behind them. Suddenly, a flurry of pings started erupting and Annie bolted towards the mid lane. Garen was now all alone in the bottom lane. Once the minions were visible, Garen used Judgement and plowed through the minions, but was met by a random blade that hit him and the minions behind him. He could tell that he took the brunt of the damage, and when his rival appeared, Garen activated Courage to provide him a damage reduction and charged headlong into Katarina. He silenced her with Decisive Strike and hit her a few times with his blade, but Katarina's superior attack speed proved her to be a harder adversary. They danced around once again with their blades, parrying, slashing, stabbing, jumping, clashing, and finally, it came to the point where Garen had sensed it was time for Demacian Justice. Right when he was about to use it, however, he hesitated, and Katarina was about to deal the final blow when Warwick came along from the jungle and started dashing towards Katarina. Katarina stood frozen, awaiting the rampage of claws that would arrive and closed her eyes, but to her surprise, nothing came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Garen with his arms outstretched, protecting her from Warwick's move. Confused, she targetted a ward that she placed near her tower and used Shunpo to escape.

"Why would you do that, Might of Demacia?" Warwick asked after he was done with his combo.

"She's my rival. Only I may defeat her," Garen stated, then started casting Recall to return back to base.

"She's gonna kill you. You know that, right?" Warwick huffed, quite bewildered that his move was wasted.

"If she manages to kill me, that would only mean she is the better belligerent. I have to make sure I am the one that defeats her to settle the score," Garen mentioned, the rings starting to close in on him.

"You're hopeless."

"Indeed, I am," were Garen's last words before he was teleported back to base.

Upon returning to base, Garen completed his Infinity Edge and also completed Force of Nature, and he felt like he could take five battles worth of damage in one go. However, something terrible just happened.

"Your turret has been destroyed," the female announcer broadcasted.

Garen looked over his shoulder to see Jax, Master Yi, Katarina and Akali attacking the inhibitor in the mid lane.

"What is 'Sparta' (referring to Pantheon) doing...? He should've asked..." Garen remembered when Annie bolted to the mid lane earlier, "...for help."

Annie summoned Tibbers and started fighting Akali, while Pantheon just respawned and jumped straight into battle with Jax. Warwick came from behind them and started attacking Master Yi, and that left Garen with Katarina. An intense battle went on, and when he saw that everyone looked tired and fairly injured, Garen used Judgement and spun around the area, killing Akali. Pantheon was chasing Jax away from the base, and so was Warwick with Master Yi. Annie managed to kill Katarina, and Garen was just about to go to her body when suddenly a random flying kiss hits his lips. His mind went black and he started walking away from Katarina's body. He tore his gaze from Katarina and saw the Nine-tailed Fox, Ahri, beckoning to him with her finger and a sly smile. Garen couldn't control his actions and moved as if naturally drawn to her, and when close enough, Ahri passed one of her tails under Garen's chin.

"Well, hello there, handsome..." Ahri chanted.

"I bring justice," Garen responded.

Meanwhile, the female announcer broadcasted that Pantheon and Warwick were slain, and Annie was off at the bottom lane farming to save up for an item. He found it uncanny that in crucial moments, he is left alone with no one to depend on for back-up. Ahri's tails wrapped up around Garen's body, and Garen attempted to fight back. Ahri giggled.

"If you'd like to play with me, you'd better be sure you know the game," Ahri said, landing a kiss on Garen's cheek. Garen scowled. He knew he could fight back, but something wasn't right. It feels as if... something painful and burning was at his chest. When he looked down, he saw Ahri's hand, glowing blue with fox magic, resting on his chest.

"Let go of me!" Garen demanded, trying to shake off Ahri's tails. Every time he'd get one off, another would come back and wrap around his body or maybe his arms and legs.

Ahri giggled, "Tell me a secret," she said delightfully, making one of her tails pass by Garen's chin again.

"I'm not going to tell you anything, fox," Garen retorted. He then felt a painful pulse as if a ball of magic was just launched at his chest at point blank.

"Don't you trust me?" Ahri asked.

"No, not at all!"

"Should I make your pulse rise? Or... stop?" Ahri said with a giggle as she launched another ball of magic at Garen's chest. Garen grimaced.

"I swear, if you don't let go of me, I will make sure you are punished!" Garen threatened as he started struggling with Ahri's tails again.

"How tempting..." Ahri whispered, continuously launching balls of fox magic into Garen's chest. Garen's color slowly faded as his skin turned pale, and when Ahri used her ultimate at point blank, Garen died in Ahri's tails, and Ahri released Garen as he plopped to the ground, his sword following shortly after. Before she could turn back, however, she got ganked by Annie, Warwick, and Pantheon, and she soon died as well.

Several minutes pass, and Garen and team managed to push the enemy's mid lane and destroy their inhibitor as well, but once again, they were met in combat with the other five champions. In the midst of the battle they managed to push and destroy one nexus tower and bring down a few champions. In the process, however, only Garen was able to survive. He retreated to a bush and waited for the perfect opportunity, and when he heard someone approach, he prepared his sword and activated Decisive Strike.

"DEMACIA!" Garen yelled as he activated Courage as well, but as soon as he landed Decisive Strike, he saw Katarina. Since she was silenced, she ran away, and Garen chased her with Judgement. When Judgement was finished, Katarina disappeared from sight, only to appear right behind Garen and she plunged her daggers straight at Garen's back. Garen yelled out in pain, but he swung his sword behind him, which Katarina deftly avoids.

Being the only one so far into the mid lane, Garen was surrounded by the enemy champions. He retreated back towards his own base, using Judgement to cancel slows and Decisive Strike to get a movement speed bonus. He traveled through the jungle, where Garen and Katarina found themselves alone. The same events as the dream he had with the endless field of tall grass happened, and Garen was slightly scared of the repeating events. When Katarina held his cheek, he was bleeding everywhere from her cuts, and she had a sword wound on her arm. The two stared at each other for a while, until Garen turned around and broke their eye contact. There was a vote for surrendering on Garen's team, but his vote would determine if the surrender would be successful or not. While the vote ran, Garen's teammates eventually found Garen and surrounded Katarina. Before they could unleash fury on her, Garen stepped in front of Katarina and blocked any incoming strike. When his teammates stood there, confused, Garen turned to Katarina and stared into her eyes. The distance between them was so close, that Garen could see Katarina's beautiful eyes clearly.

After a big sigh, Garen dropped his sword and knelt down in front of Katarina. "I surrender," he said. Soon after that, Garen's Team's nexus exploded. All the champions started warping out of Summoner's Rift, and Garen looked at Katarina as the blue rings started closing in on them.

"Why?" Katarina asked.

"Because I-" Garen started, but then he figured he must not be so straightforward.

Katarina hinted at what he was going to say, and she scoffed. Garen? The Might of Demacia? Fall in LOVE with herself? What were the odds? Katarina was going to say something when Annie started cheering behind Garen.

"Well, aren't you a huggable bear? I've been staring at you since I wanted to give you a hug! You look a lot like Tibbers, you know." Annie commented before her teleportation spell was finished and she warped out.

Garen turned back to Katarina, and she immediately retracted a smile that was evident on her face while Garen wasn't looking.

"Were you smiling?" Garen asked.

"No." Katarina responded, then warped out of Summoner's Rift.

Garen sighed, then closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the Freljord with Ashe and Tryndamere in front of him, as if waiting for him. Tryndamere patted Garen's shoulder and Ashe held Garen's hand. They both looked worried for him.

"You'll do better next time," Ashe encouraged.

"After all, you showed them how to 'spin2win'! You'll win your next battle for sure!" Tryndamere added.

Garen smiled at Tryndamere and Ashe, and he gave Ashe a big hug that lifted her off her feet.

"Hey, what's the big idea? That's MY wife!" Tryndamere exclaimed, then Garen put Ashe down. Ashe looked flustered.

"I'd do it to you too, but I doubt I can lift you," Garen said, smiling.

"Well, you sure look happy despite surrendering..." Tryndamere commented.

Katarina sat down atop a tree, staring at the night sky and all the stars present. She dwelled on the events that happened a few days prior, when her battle in the Field of Justice with Garen occured. She couldn't help but dwell on what Garen had sacrificed for her sake. He blocked Warwick's ultimate that was supposed to be for her, he once had the opportunity to use Demacian Justice, but targetted a minion in front of her instead, he also carried her dead body as close to her base as he could while withstanding the magic balls that the turrets launched at him, and finally, when she was cornered and surrounded, he surrendered. They would have won, if not for his surrender. Then, there was the "almost" confession at the jungle when the champions were leaving Summoner's Rift.

"Next time, I'll... I'll..." Katarina couldn't find it in herself to say "kill him". Something in her heart just didn't want to kill him anymore. "...hurt him... Next time, I'll hurt him really bad."

* * *

Author's Note: My next update wouldn't be as quick as this one. I'll be busy playing LoL for inspiration as well as school and stuff. But I'll try to update as fast as I can.


	3. Voidborn in the Night

A few months have passed since the fateful loss at Summoner's Rift, and Garen had grown very accustomed to Ashe and Tryndamere's hospitality that he felt like he was born in Freljord. But, even though he was very situated in Freljord, his love for Demacia hasn't vanished, and he still kept his home close to his heart. He missed the streets of Demacia. The marketplace, the fountain at the center of the city, and his old home. There had been word that the Dauntless Vanguard had been working hard day and night trying to find a replacement for Garen, but there just wasn't any candidate that would fill Garen's shoes that was from Demacia. Therefore, the Dauntless Vanguard was now under Jarvan's control. For several weeks, a courier would come bringing an issue of the Journal of Justice, and it brought Garen, Ashe, and Tryndamere up to speed with what's going on down South of them.

Garen did not spend his few months of inactivity, "inactive" per se, for he had been training with Tryndamere and hunted at night with Ashe. Of course, all Ashe did was reinforce Garen's love for tall grass and how you must surprise your targets, and there was barely any in the Freljordian wilderness. There was one incident when Ashe fell from an icy cliff, and she was seen being carried by Garen back home. Everyone in Freljord felt more sympathetic to Garen at that point, because despite his rugged look, he was still a nice man deep down. One day, Garen decided to visit Ionia and confront the Nine-tailed fox for her performance in their battle, but Tryndamere said no. Defiantly, Garen sought out Ashe and asked her, but she also said no. When it came to Garen, Ashe's word is always final, but never Tryndamere's. Perhaps it was just preference, but Tryndamere felt a bit jealous that Garen was developing a deep attachment to Ashe.

Darkness came, and the moon and stars filled the night sky. Garen lay down on top of a snowcapped rock near his cave. He stared up at the stars, and the moon. He was thinking of what would happen if he came back to Demacia, or if he'll even be able to see it again. Perhaps they'd be happy to see him again, or perhaps they would shun him away? Garen sighed. There was really no way of returning unless he manages to convince Jarvan that he was not falling for Katarina. That in itself was a hard task, almost impossible. But now that he started thinking about it, Garen couldn't take his mind off of Katarina. What was she doing now? Was she taking care of herself? Was someone giving her a hard time? Was she in danger? All these thoughts raced through Garen's mind, but he only got them off of his head when he started walking. He was walking, yet not paying attention which direction his feet took him. He just wandered.

* * *

Katarina was sharpening her knives when suddenly she heard a loud thud and metal clattering on the ground. She stood up and covered her eyes with the shadow of her hand as the sunlight bore down on her. She was in the Ironspike mountain range, seeking some sort of artifact that she was going to return to Noxus. She went to check out what made the noise, and was surprised to see Garen, lying face down, on a slight slope at the entrance to some cave. She walked slowly over to Garen's unconscious self with her knives out, and nudged his head with her foot. When he didn't respond, she grabbed his sword and started dragging Garen into the cave. She was about to head that way anyway, and Garen just managed to pass out right in front of the entrance.

"Damn, you're heavy..." Katarina complained as she dragged Garen a few meters before she carelessly dropped his head onto the ground. She saw some sort of lever and pulled it, then a secret door opened not too far from Garen. "You're turning out to be some sort of pointer to my objective," she commented. She left Garen and his sword by the entrance of the door, and walked in herself. She took her daggers out and got prepared for some sort of trap system, and surely enough, there was. She jumped, spun, ran, rolled and vaulted over any kind of trap, then when she was finally at the chest that held the artifact, a claw came down and barely missed Katarina from behind a wall. Cho'Gath, who seemed to have been looking for the same artifact, busted through the wall. Katarina did a backflip and opened the chest, and she found a broken piece of what seems to be a circular plate with drawings of part of Valoran in it. Another claw came down at Katarina and she crossed her daggers to block the attack. Cho'Gath looked ferociously driven by the desire of getting that artifact, and Katarina couldn't help but wonder if it's part of a multi-piece artifact.

Katarina and Cho'Gath's fight soon brought the foundations of the secret room down, and it started crumbling. When part of the pillars that held the ceiling up fell, Katarina darted towards the exit, but the debris covered up the entrance. She last saw Garen lying down by his sword, just where she left him. She was trapped with Cho'Gath in the room, and Katarina used her superior agility to outrun Cho'Gath and flanked the beast and gave a few attacks here and there.

* * *

Garen woke up after a few pebbles hit his forehead. He sat up and looked around, and saw the entrance to the secret room blocked off by debris, mostly rocks. However, he saw one of Katarina's daggers outside the room. He picked it up and grabbed his sword. There must be some other way to get to the room where Katarina was in. Swiftly, Garen headed in, towards the depths of the cave. He raced through a series of tunnels and dark corridors in a rush to find a second entrance. While running in the dark, he stepped into a ditch and fell on his ankle. All his weight went down on his ankle and he sprained it pretty badly, but he refused to falter, and continued running, although in a slower pace. Many times, he would smash his face straight into a wall, and he'd have to feel around him for the next turn. He judged how far he is from the room by taking note of the shockwaves that came from the battle between Katarina and Cho'Gath. He hoped she was doing alright. Surely, she could handle herself, but for how long?

"Damn it... if only I could see..." Garen muttered. In his rush to save Katarina, he forgot about getting a torch or something similar. After a few moments, Garen felt a draft and went to the source, and he found an exploitable crack in the wall which he could bust through. Grabbing his sword and placing the tip at the crack, Garen moved back a few paces then walked up to the sword and kicked it into the crack as hard as he could. The force managed to break the frail stone wall and light poured out from the new doorway that Garen created. He activated Courage and came sprinting in, but he was only met by one of Cho'Gath's claws that hit him hard on the side of the head, and he was sent flying into a wall. Nearly unconscious, Garen looked up at Cho'Gath. In his claw was Katarina's neck, and he was choking her off of her feet. Katarina was struggling as hard as she could, but eventually, she went limp. When Cho'Gath felt no more resistance from Katarina, he threw her to the side and she violently rolled along the floor. Cho'Gath started looking around for the artifact.

Garen, on the other hand, was crawling over to Katarina slowly. He dragged his body and his sword with him even though his vision was cloudy. Upon reaching Katarina, Garen checked if she had any heartbeat, and when he heard none, he snapped. Immediately, his vision cleared as adrenaline pumped through his body, and he started performing CPR on Katarina, doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as well. Katarina revived soon enough, and she slapped Garen hard right when he was about to blow into her mouth again.

"What do you think you're doing?" Katarina exclaimed. She noticed the thick stream of blood that oozed from the side of Garen's head that made him look even more rugged.

"I was saving you!" Garen retorted, then picked up his sword and offered his hand to Katarina, "You look beautiful, by the way."

"I always look beautiful," Katarina said. She accepted his hand and pulled herself up, "You're tanky. You should charge in like an idiot."

"I don't see you getting enough bravery to charge headlong into a Voidborn monster."

Katarina decided to use Garen's own reasoning against himself, "So you'd rather watch me get hurt while I charge in?"

Garen scowled, "Of course not. What would I do without you?"

"You can have your citizenship back if I was dead. That's all Jarvan wants to see anyway," Katarina said as she watched Cho'Gath rummage through some debris, facing away from them.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to remain exiled."

"You sure got your priorities misaligned."

"Oh, don't you worry. My priority is you," Garen said, looking at Katarina's eyes.

"Hmph. I don't need a bodyguard," Katarina said before she kicked Garen in the back to get him to move forward to Cho'Gath. Garen prepared his sword and started to charge in, but Katarina used him to Shunpo over to Cho'Gath and start attacking him. Garen used Decisive Strike to silence the monster, then followed up with Judgement to keep Cho'Gath's attention on him. He activated Courage again to be able to withstand more attacks from Cho'Gath. Katarina unleashed a few swift attacks before jumping away. She used her ultimate on Cho'Gath, and Garen used Demacian Justice right after. Cho'Gath started running away, and he stumbled over to the portal where he came from. However, he also barreled through a few pillars that supported the room, and the room started collapsing completely. Garen quickly grabbed Katarina's wrist and dragged her to the entrance he found, and he threw her out to make sure she made it, because if Garen kept dragging her, Katarina would have been crushed by falling rocks. Besides, he ran faster without having to drag anything. Once the room completely collapsed, and now Garen and Katarina were stuck in a dark tunnel inside the cave, they had to pat along the walls to know where they were going.

"If I ever touch you in a place you don't desire to be touched, I apologize before hand," Garen said. He really didn't want to be stabbed in the dark, literally.

"Just don't touch me, ever. I'll stab you if you do." Katarina responded, her voice echoed off the walls of the tunnel.

They spent about half an hour walking and feeling around the place until they saw some sort of clearing in the cave. It was still in the cave system, but at least there was a wide open area with plants growing on the side and the ceiling absent, which let in the moonlight through a big hole. It seemed as if the hole was intentionally placed there, for it was the perfect angle to watch the moon traverse the night sky. Garen sat down at the center of the clearing where there was a nice flat rock that resembled the headboard of a bed, and put down his sword beside him. He took a quick check on himself and noticed the blood on the side of his head. The wound was still open, and it was surrounded with dirt and dust, and small pebbles that got stuck because of the blood in his hair. He became oblivious to his surroundings and his eyes started to close, and his head started to lean forward. He felt a slight sting where his wound was, which caused him to wake up. He turned his head and saw Katarina with part of her sleeve ripped, and she was using that ripped cloth to tidy up his wound. Garen felt too tired to argue, so he looked back in front of him to expose his injury to Katarina. As soon as he did so, he felt the sting again and he winced.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Katarina said, wiping off the blood off of Garen's wound first.

Garen sighed and resisted the reflex of wincing whenever Katarina touched his wound. She WAS pressing down pretty hard on it. Garen heard another ripping sound and when he turned to look at Katarina, she was now sleeveless.

"You shouldn't have done that, you know. We are exposed to the mountain winds with this hole on the ceiling," Garen said, but Katarina took her cloth and started wiping Garen's cheek and ear.

"Well, you couldn't clean up for yourself so I figured I'd do you a favor. I like you looking rugged, but not THAT rugged," Katarina said.

Garen sighed, then let Katarina do what she wanted to do. She cleaned the blood from his head completely, then tossed the cloths away. Katarina gave a sigh, and started staring at the stars. Garen did the same.

"Why did you help me?" Garen asked.

"Do I really have to answer that question?" Katarina retorted, not taking her eyes off of the stars.

"I don't demand an answer, but I'd really like to know," Garen said.

"Well, I don't-" Katarina stopped herself. Garen looked at her, and she stared back at him, "...I don't want you to die from an infected wound, that's all."

"I see."

"Why did YOU save me?" Katarina inquired.

"I can't admit it, but you're precious to me. Something tells me I can't lose you," Garen said casually, as if he didn't realize how touchy his words were. Katarina blinked a few times, looking at Garen's eyes that were staring at the stars to see if he was lying.

"What exactly did I do to warrant such attitude from you?" she asked.

"Our little rivalry."

"You mean you think I'm precious because I'm your rival?"

"Well, not exactly, but that's what you think, right?" Garen took his eyes off of the stars and looked at Katarina.

"Umm... Ehh... R-Right..." Katarina said, almost muttered.

"Then that's that," Garen said. There was an awkward silence between the two as they stared into each other's eyes, but Garen took initiative and tore his gaze from Katarina's eyes and up towards the moon. They didn't utter a word after that, and they spent a few hours just staring at the stars.

* * *

"Where's Garen?" Ashe asked Tryndamere, who was spinning around, practicing his skills.

"I don't know. You mean he's not with you?" Tryndamere replied after he finished a spin.

"I was going to take him out hunting tonight, but I can't find him anywhere!" Ashe exclaimed. Tryndamere spun again and Ashe put her hands on her hips, "Can you at least pretend to be worried?"

"He's a man, Ashe. He's bound to go roaming around the place someday. If he's hungry, he'll come back here."

"Let's hope you're right," Ashe said, then went off to hunt.

* * *

"Hey Garen..."

"Yes, Katarina?"

"The stars... they're beautiful, aren't they...?" Katarina said, sleepily looking up. It took a while for Garen to respond.

"Yes, yes they are," Garen said, then looked over to Katarina. She was already sleeping, her head leaned against his shoulder. Garen stared at her sleeping face for a while, then shook his head, "If Jarvan saw this, I'd never be forgiven..." Garen muttered so he won't wake Katarina. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword to make sure he's ready to strike if a threat decided to come up, and his other hand touched Katarina's hand. It was unusually cold, so Garen took out his old blue shoulder cape and put it up Katarina's shoulders to cover her arms from the cold breeze that passed by every now and then. Garen started thinking of the next day, and how he's gonna get home to Ashe and Tryndamere, and if Katarina and himself would separate paths before he even wakes up.

All these thoughts eventually wore Garen's mind down and slowly he fell asleep, his head leaning gently on Katarina's head. The two slept beside one another, taking comfort in each other.


	4. A Duel And Ashe's Motherly Care

Katarina woke up as sunlight bathed her face. She felt warm, and she felt something leaning on her head. She carefully pushed the thing on her head and was a bit surprised when she touched hair. She looked up and saw Garen's sleeping face. The great Might of Demacia, who slept soundly beside the Sinister Blade of Noxus. Katarina found it a bit comical for some reason, but she sighed and carefully leaned Garen's head back on the stone behind them, before she stood up and stretched. She checked her pockets if she had the artifact, but there was none. Cho'Gath must have taken it when she dropped it in the fight. Katarina put her hands on her hips and stared at Garen's sleeping figure.

"All that work and I get stuck with him," Katarina said. She got somewhat upset that she will be coming back empty-handed, but she couldn't help but smile faintly while Garen was sleeping. Katarina took out her daggers and slowly approached Garen. Right before she got to him, however, she was struck by the feeling of failure. It would hurt her reputation if she was to return with nothing, so she figured she'd take home at least something, and what else is better to bring but the Might of Demacia himself? She stood over Garen, and was about to reach out when Garen placed his sword by Katarina's neck.

"And just what are you planning, Sinister Blade?" Garen questioned as he stood up.

"I'm taking you home with me, to Noxus," Katarina stated with a straight face. She really meant what she said.

"I was planning to do the same thing with you," Garen said as he lowered his sword.

"You're bringing me to Demacia? That seems like a bad idea," Katarina said.

"If I brought you back to Demacia, I wouldn't be able to lay a single gaze at you," Garen explained.

"And why is that so important?" Katarina asked.

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors floating on about us."

"I have, yes. And you're telling me it's true?" Katarina's heart started beating a bit faster.

"...Yes."

Katarina closed her eyes and smiled while shaking her head.

"Haven't you noticed? Every time I want to hold you in my arms, you shunpo away," Garen said.

"Yes, I've noticed. How about this, if you can beat me in a duel, you can bring me home to where ever you stay. If I beat you, you're coming with me to Noxus," Katarina proposed.

"Are you falling for me, Sinister Blade?" Garen asked, confused by Katarina's change in attitude.

Katarina looked at Garen's eyes, a smile evident on her lips. "I'll answer that too if you beat me."

Garen smiled, "No skills."

"Drop all your Doran's blades then."

Garen dropped all of his inventory and started circling around Katarina. However, she wasn't gonna let him get her into his own pace, so she started circling around as well. After a few seconds, the two jumped at each other with their blades, Garen striking with an overhead attack while Katarina blocked as she crossed her daggers in front of her. Garen backed up a few before he swung his sword horizontally. The Sinister Blade jumped over the blade and used her momentum as she tried to plunge her daggers into Garen's shoulders. Garen pushed one of Katarina's hands out of the way and the other hit his shoulder armor. The two attacked each other repeatedly, exchanged blows, blocked attacks, avoided fatal attacks, and it finally came to the final stage of the fight. Garen and Katarina were facing each other, and Katarina ran at Garen. Garen prepared to block, but Katarina used his knee as leverage to do a backflip. In the process, she kicked his chin, and that caused Garen to stagger a few feet, but he regained his balance soon after and hit Katarina's stomach with his shoulder, and she tumbled backwards from the force. She gained footing while rolling, and ran around Garen while he tried to completely restore his focus from the kick to his chin. At once, Katarina dashed forward when she was behind Garen and aimed her daggers onto his lower back. Garen heard her footsteps and turned around in time to be able to lock blades with Katarina.

"I see you're weak from attacks from behind," Katarina commented with a smirk.

"And you're weak being confronted up front," Garen retorted.

"Well, of course. I depend a lot on my skills to earn kills, you know. You have insane attack damage."

"Actually, I spin to win now. So I guess we're even on that."

The two pushed away from each other and landed what they thought would be their winning blow, but Katarina's daggers had Garen's throat in between them, like a pair of scissors, and Garen had his blade on one side of Katarina's neck. The two stared into each other's eyes for a while, before Katarina leaned forward gradually. Garen thought he knew where this was going and closed his eyes. Katarina smirked as she thought Garen fell for her trick, and when she tried to disarm Garen, he leaned forward as well and the space between their lips were sealed in a kiss. Katarina's eyes widened and she tried to pull away, but Garen's hand shot up to her head and prevented her from breaking the kiss. Katarina slowly applied pressure on the daggers on Garen's throat, but he wouldn't budge even though her daggers started cutting his skin. Garen decided to release Katarina's head after several seconds, and Katarina slapped Garen hard shortly after.

"Jerk," Katarina said as she wiped her lips on her arm, but she felt cloth touch her lips instead of skin. She looked down at her arm, and saw Garen's lightweight shoulder cape which hung on with a magic spell. Katarina realized that Garen kept her warm through the night. She took a step forward and pushed Garen hard, making him take a few steps back.

"Forgive me. I was not taking into account your status in Noxus," Garen apologized, with a look of regret on his face.

Katarina felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. All this time, Garen's been so considerate of her. He even allowed her to have fun by having a duel every time they met, just because she liked violence a lot. Katarina sighed, and made up her mind. She decided to change for Garen. She walked over to Garen and propped his chin up with the tip of her dagger. "Listen to me. I'll settle for a tie on this duel..."

"So no one's bringing anyone home, and I don't get an answer to my question?" Garen inquired.

"Garen."

"Yes?"

"You kissed me and I cut your neck. That should be enough of an answer," Katarina said, putting her daggers away.

"Mind if I got another?" Garen asked, taking initiative.

"I don't mind, as long as you don't mind risking your neck being cut off," Katarina retorted before facing her back on Garen, and blue rings started surrounding Katarina.

"Wait," Garen pleaded as he grabbed Katarina's wrist. The blue rings slowed down.

"What do you want?" Katarina demanded.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"I need you," Garen said.

Katarina stared at him for a while, and sighed, "I have to return to Noxus."

"You can always return some other time."

"Fine. Fine! I'll stay with you... but only if you get on your knees and beg."

Garen, almost immediately, dropped down to his knees and held up his hands, "Please, I beg of you."

"Well, if you're willing to go that far, I don't see why not," Katarina said, dispelling the blue rings around her, "But don't expect me to hold your hand or anything like that."

"Trust me, I won't," Garen replied. He got up and grabbed his sword, then placed it on his back. "How about actually getting out of here?"

"That's what I was doing until you begged me to come with you," Katarina said.

"Well... Let's follow the draft, then..." Garen said, and started walking.

Katarina was faced with a hard choice. Now that Garen had his eyes off of her, she could recall back to Noxus and get away, but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Not anymore, at least. However, she couldn't be seen with Garen. She would receive the same fate that the Might of Demacia had faced, and that would be a disgrace to her family. Garen turned around, and he caught a glimpse of Katarina's teleportation. When she was gone, Garen looked stoic. His face void of any emotion. One couldn't tell if he was angry or sad, but he was definitely not happy. He continued to follow the draft, and he would continue to do so for several days until he got to the exit. He did not know how much time has passed since Katarina teleported, but he was back at Freljord when he regained his senses, and the first thing he saw was Ashe rushing over with her arms outstretched, as if she was running to greet her child that had returned from war.

Garen's vision was hazy due to dehydration and lack of food, and he stooped forward, and started falling to the ground. Ashe caught him in her arms and she stepped back a few times because of his weight, and Tryndamere came out and helped Ashe carry Garen. They brought him over to his cave and laid him down on his cot, then Ashe started wiping Garen's face to tidy it up a little, and applied some salts to his wound at the side of his head. Tryndamere stood there, watching Ashe take care of Garen and he looked at Ashe's face. She was very worried about Garen's well-being that she sent a courier to send a letter to Demacia and let them know that Garen was in a terrible situation. Tryndamere adviced her not to send the letter, for he was an exile and they have little time to worry about an exiled man. Ashe argued it was important since Garen was from Demacia and he still had his sister, Lux, that needed to be informed of his situation.

"Poor man..." Tryndamere said. Ashe kept still, sitting on Garen's bedside and nursed him by propping his head up so he could take in some water. Tryndamere sighed, then added, "You're such a mother to him, Ashe, you know that?"

"He's been exiled from his home city, and he turned to us in his direst moment. Who do you think should take care of him when he can't take care of himself?" Ashe asked Tryndamere.

Tryndamere was silenced by Ashe's response, and she looked at him with a cold stare. Tryndamere went over and held her shoulders, "I'm just saying that you're even more beautiful when you're around Garen. Your motherly nature really comes out when he's around," he stated.

"Well... On the day he appeared on our doorstep... I just couldn't help but feel bad for him. He's so dedicated to Demacia but their zero-tolerance rule got him exiled just because of a rumor."

"Didn't he say that the rumor is true?"

"But the people of Demacia don't know that for sure. They don't have proof of it, yet the continued to exile him..."

Tryndamere sighed. There was no way he could get Ashe to leave Garen until he woke up, so he gave Ashe a kiss on the forehead and a pat on the shoulder, "Just make sure you don't wear yourself out too much."

"I won't," Ashe said. She stayed in Garen's room all day and all afternoon, nursing him, and when nightfall came and she fell asleep, Tryndamere came over to Garen's cave and put a blanket over Ashe's shoulders.

Tryndamere looked at Garen and whispered, "You better wake up soon, Garen. I can't have you stealing all of my wife's attention," he chuckled at his own joke.


	5. Battle at Summoner's Rift

Katarina returned to her room in her home in Noxus, and sat down on her bed. She sighed. Coming back with no artifact would earn her a prod from a specific someone, and that whole encounter with Garen really put her at a dilemma. Little did she know, she was being watched the whole time, and that observer made his presence known as Katarina lay back on her bed.

"I see you've returned," a voice said. Katarina sat up and and sighed. Talk about the devil.

"I know you're there, Talon. Might as well show your sorry face," Katarina jested. Talon came out of the shadows and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"The artifact?" Talon asked.

"Gone," Katarina responded.

"So, you actually FAILED this time, didn't you?"

"Oh, shut up. You'd have failed too."

"And why is that?"

"I had help."

"From the Might of Demacia."

"How'd you know that?" Katarina looked bewildered. Talon scoffed. This girl just really irked him, and if it wasn't for his respect for General Du Couteau, he would have assassinated her already.

"I was there," Talon said cooly, then he walked over to the window and looking down at the Noxian marketplace.

"Listen, I didn't-"

"I saw what I saw, Katarina. You're getting soft," Talon said as he turned around and faced Katarina. She was standing up now.

"Why don't you mind your own business and stay here like a good dog?" Katarina protested.

"Don't call me that."

"I can call you a dog all I want. That's what you are, after all!"

Talon's eyebrow twitched and he quickly stepped up to Katarina and pointed a blade to her neck. "I said, don't call me that."

Katarina vanished and appeared behind Talon, her own dagger pointed at his neck, "I said, I can call you whatever I want."

"Damn you..." Talon hissed as he retracted his blade. Katarina looked triumphantly at Talon, who turned around and walked over to the door. "By the way, there's going to be another match tomorrow. The Might of Demacia is going to be there. I see you two have gotten close."

"That's false," Katarina responded calmly.

"I saw that kiss."

"I was cutting his neck while he did that."

"Didn't see you push away."

"Ugh. Just go away."

"Fine," Talon said before he headed out of Katarina's room.

"And mind your own business!" Katalina shouted as Talon left. She sighed and locked her door room, then lay back down on her bed. Her mind raced with thoughts of what would happen when she faced Garen again the next day. She left him even when she agreed to follow him and stay with him, and Katarina felt like he's on a rampage, but she knew the Might of Demacia well enough to know that he won't let his emotions get the better of him.

* * *

"Hey, Ashe..." Tryndamere whispered.

"What...?" Ashe whispered back.

"How long do you think this is going to keep up...?"

"I don't know..."

The two were watching Garen as he was sharpening his sword.

"He's been at it for half the day... I know he's got a match later tonight but he's going overboard..." Tryndamere said. He thought for a while then looked at Ashe, "He usually listens to you. Why don't you talk him out of it...?"

"I'll try..." Ashe approached Garen and touched his shoulder. Garen was oblivious to Ashe's touch but she kept trying. Ashe kneeled down beside Garen and looked at his face. "Garen, dear... Why don't you take a break?"

"..." Garen was silent.

"I'm sure your sword is as sharp as it'll ever be, so maybe it's time to stop now?"

Garen stopped sharpening his blade then looked at Ashe, "...Sorry."

"What's the matter? You look down, honey."

"No, no. I'm fine. Thanks for your consideration," Garen mentioned, before he put away his materials and put his sword on his back.

Ashe smirked as she took a good look at Garen's face, "I know that look. It's a woman, isn't it?"

"...Yeah."

"Is it the Sinister Blade?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. Well, she'll be at your match tonight. You'll see her again," Ashe said, patting Garen's chin upward, "So cheer up!"

"Thank you," Garen said as he smiled at Ashe.

"Great, great! Now that this issue is settled, let's grab a bite to eat! Garen's got a big night and we can't let him be hungry!"

The three went inside to the gathering hall and started to eat, and Garen listened in as Tryndamere shared stories of his adventures when he wasn't married to Ashe. He talked about fighting this massive polar bear that wore armor and all that, and how his "spin2win" tactic won him the day. Garen listened intently, as he fought Cho'Gath which he could imagine to be as hard as fighting a polar bear wearing armor, and soon opened up to Ashe and Tryndamere about his whole fight with Cho'Gath and Katarina, and how they spent the night in a cave system in the Ironspike Mountains. He made mention about how she also ditched him when she said she agreed to stay with him. Ashe and Tryndamere then concluded that Garen was troubled by emotion, and his performance might be affected in that night's match. A few minutes after the trio finished eating, blue rings of light appeared around Garen. Tryndamere clasped Garen's shoulder and Ashe gave him a hug, just like they did a few months ago when Garen went off to a battle when he first started living in Freljord.

Garen closed his eyes and he heard the flush that the teleportation spell made, indicating that he was now in the Field of Justice. Normally, many thoughts ran through his mind about what he should do, but this time, there was just one. Just one memory. The one memory when Katarina abandoned him in the caves. Man, he got infuriated as he soon as he remembered that, and he took a deep breath before opening his eyes. He looked at his teammates. In front of him, in a circle, stood Jax, Miss Fortune, Nautilus, and Katarina. Upon eye contact with Katarina, Garen bought a Doran's Blade and immediately headed out to the bottom lane. He greeted his other teammates, but Garen did not utter a single word to Katarina. She furrowed her brows before going off to the top lane. Once again, Annie followed Garen, and they hid in the bushes waiting for the enemies to come close. Minions spawned and a few seconds later, the minions were duking it out in front of the bush Annie and Garen were hiding in. Annie went out and started killing some minions, but Garen stayed in the bushes. He just mooched off the minions with experience and finally their enemy showed up. Talon, looking as shady as ever, suddenly unleashed a volley of blades in a cone formation and killed the minions that were acting as fodder for Annie. She started retreating back to the tower, and Garen stayed in the bushes. Soon, Annie drove Talon into the bushes and Garen came out spinning with his sword, dealing damage to Talon. He heard the assassin curse under his breath as he retreated, and when Garen let up, he turned around and fired another volley of blades at Garen, who responded with a deft swing of his sword towards his temple. Talon leaned backwards and he threw a kick to Garen's shin followed by a swift stab to the shoulder, which made the big champion retreat.

* * *

The battle progressed, and a few kills later, Garen had his complete build ready and he started to push the bottom lane. As he pushed past the inner turret, Garen couldn't help but feel quite odd that he had met no resistance so far besides Talon. Something was up, and it was not good.

There was a 4v5 battle going on at the middle lane, and Jax was dealing intense damage to the enemy team. However, with a taste of his own medicine from Master Yi, and support from Sona and Morgana made Yi an indestructable machine. Talon kept Katarina busy, and Annie summoned Tibbers to fight with Nautilus. The battle was intense, but Yi darted to and from, from champion to champion and got a Quadra Kill. Katarina lay down on the ground, propped up by her elbows, and looked at the enemy team. They all returned to base to get better equipment, but Talon stayed and started walking to Katarina while he flipped his blades to and fro between his hands. He then sat down on Katarina's stomach and pointed one of his blades at her neck.

"I've been dying for a match that we're on opposite sides. Only in the Fields of Justice can I kill you without getting in trouble," Talon said, pressing lightly on Katarina's neck with his blade.

"Damn you..." Katarina responded. She was too damaged to resist, so she just watched and glared at Talon.

"But you know, I'd like you to suffer a bit more since you've been giving me a real hard time lately," Talon said and slashed the side of Katarina's neck. The wound was not deep enough to be fatal, but it hurt a lot. Katarina yelled out in pain, and Talon grabbed Katarina's neck and started choking her. Katarina clutched Talon's arm and tried to get it off, her legs kicked around as she struggled to get Talon off. "Hahahaha! Cry out in pain! Come now! I want you to yell for help before I stab you again!" Katarina clenched her teeth and a few tears started falling from her eyes, and Talon stabbed her shoulder and continuously pulled and pushed the blade in and out of the wound. The pain was unbearable. "Too bad the Might of Demacia isn't-" Talon started, but before he could finish, he was hit hard by something very broad at the side of his head, and he went flying a few feet away from Katarina.

Garen stood there, looking like a baseball batter that just struck a homerun with his sword, and he immediately silenced Talon with Decisive Strike. He ran to Katarina soon after, "Katarina... Hang in there, I'll be back in a second," he said. Garen stood up and whacked Talon again with his sword, but Talon avoided it and threw three blades at Garen's legs. Two on one leg, and one on the other. Garen stabbed his sword in the ground and slowly regained his balance, then charged straight into Talon. The two disarmed each other at the same time, and they started exchanging fists as Katarina watched on. She watched as Garen pummeled Talon with his heavy punches, but Talon ultimately defeated him with his superior speed and technique in hand-to-hand combat. An assassin always had to be lethal even without a weapon, and Talon displayed just that in his fist fight with Garen. Finally, Talon's punch landed straight onto Garen's jaw, and Garen staggered backwards. Katarina reached out to Garen as her eyes were clouded with her tears, and Talon stomped on Garen's head. Katarina closed her eyes, and suddenly felt a violent tug on her hair. Talon lifted her by her hair and took out one disk-shaped blade and placed it on Katarina's throat.

"Looks like it's the end for you... for now," Talon said with malice, but before he could slice Katarina's throat, he felt as if he started losing his balance. He felt something warm flowing down his head, and he could see blood as it splattered down on Katarina's face.

"Looks like the assassin... has been assassinated," Garen said as he just casted Demacian Justice on Talon, a mighty sword landing straight down to his head and killed Talon.

Katarina fell to the ground simultaneously with Talon, and Garen scooped her up in his arms, "I'll get you home, Katarina," he said.

"But I abandoned you... why are you saving me...?" Katarina weakly asked.

"You may abandon me all you can, but I won't abandon you because I am a man," Garen responded as he passed the broken remains of the outer turret. "Hell, the only time I'd abandon you is when I die before you do."

Katarina closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Garen's neck. She was really touched at that sentence, and she was thinking, perhaps it was okay to open up to Garen? Katarina was never one for love and that kind of sort, in fact, she thought it was pretty dumb. But perhaps, just to appease and acknowledge his hard work at pursuing her heart, Katarina decided to soften up for Garen. Garen looked at Katarina's face, and saw that she was smiling. Garen felt empowered and he started walking at a fairly normal pace. As Garen reached the Inhibitor Turret, he saw his teammates rushing past him and Katarina. When their teammates passed them, Katarina kissed Garen's cheek and made herself comfortable in his arms, and when they reached the base, Garen was going to put her down but Katarina clung onto his neck.

"Don't leave," she whispered.

"Alright," Garen responded. He watched as Katarina's wounds heal. This green aura surrounded them and eventually, Katarina was able to stand up by herself. Garen's wounds also healed, and the two stared at each other for a while. Garen's arm found itself wrapping around Katarina's waist, and Katarina placed her hands on Garen's chest. Garen's finger traced over the scar over Katarina's eyes, and as she closed her eyes, Garen neared his face to Katarina's. Katarina opened her eyes again and she prepared to be kissed, but suddenly Jax recalled right beside them and he dropped his lamp upon visual contact.

"Whoa... am I interrupting?" he asked. Garen and Katarina quickly let go of each other, and faced Jax with a flustered look on their faces. Garen started stuttering and Katarina just stabbed Garen's chest. Garen fell over and plucked the dagger out of his chest as his wound started to heal. Jax just stared at the two, before picking his lamp back up again. "Umm... Well... if you two aren't doing anything... we really need to push. We've taken down one Nexus Turret," he said, before teleporting to a minion over at the enemy base.

Garen and Katarina looked at each other then darted their eyes away in embarrassment, but Katarina beckoned to Garen with a smile.

"Let's go," Katarina said. Garen took her hand and they started running to the enemy base. As their team's and the other team's champions fought it out near the nexus, Katarina took the opportunity to unleash multiple daggers and hit every single champion, then Garen used Demacian Justice as he eliminated Sona, then spun around into the cluster of enemies.

"Penta Kill! Ace!" the female announcer blared over the Field of Justice as Garen finished spinning. The whole team started taking down the turret and finally the nexus, and they all rejoiced and gave Garen a few pats on the shoulder. Annie even offered to let share Tibbers with Garen, but Garen refused. He knew she'd want Tibbers back in less than an dropped his sword and ran to Katarina, and he hugged her tightly and lifted her up in the air, then spun around, but not at "Judgement" speed. All the champions looked on at Garen's celebration, and Talon found it especially interesting that Katarina wasn't in her usual self... She wasn't the Katarina he knew. Katarina's hair flowed gracefully as Garen spun with her, and when Garen put her down, she flicked her wrist and a dagger appeared in her hand. Garen had a "I-know-what-happens-next" look, but Katarina dropped the dagger and poked Garen's forehead instead.

"Don't let it get to your head," Katarina advised. Garen smiled and hugged her again, then all the champions started warping out of the Fields of Justice. Once everyone else had teleported out of the Fields of Justice, Garen and Katarina stayed back, and the two held each other's hands and leaned forward for a kiss, then pulled away. "It's not that I'm falling for you... I just like you a lot, that's all," Katarina said in defense of her former self, who would never participate in events such as kissing or holding hands.

"Will I see you soon?" Garen asked as the blue rings around Katarina and himself started closing in on their bodies.

"Maybe. Instead of waiting around for me, why not visit Noxus? You'll be under my protection and since you're not affiliated with Demacia anymore, you should be able to wriggle your sorry face out of any trouble you get into without me."

"Noxus, huh? Why don't we visit Demacia together? I'm not welcome there, neither are you, so I think that's fair."

"I'll think about it."

"How will I know what you've decided, though? I'm living with-" Garen cut himself off as he started to give out his whereabouts. He knew Katarina was from Noxus, and she just might spill information to her comrades and that would lead to trouble in Freljord. The last thing he wanted was to bring trouble to Ashe and Tryndamere's footsteps.

"You're living with?" Katarina inquired.

"...With no home. I'm wandering around Valoran, so I don't know how you'll be able to reach me."

"Fine then, it'll be Demacia. I'll meet you at the Marshes of Kaladoun, then we can walk to Demacia together."

"Alright," Garen said, then Katarina closed her eyes as she started finalizing the last preparation for the teleportation spell. Garen saw that she was about to teleport, then he quickly said, "I love you."

Did she seriously just hear the Might of Demacia declare his love to her? It's not like it's news to Katarina, but she didn't expect him to be so straightforward. Then again, he is still a soldier and commander at heart, so it should be a given.

Katarina opened her eyes in disbelief, but when she did, she was already in her room in Noxus.


	6. Chapter 6

After saying his goodbyes to Tryndamere and Ashe, Garen set off from Freljord to the Kaladoun Marshes. He crossed the Southern tip of the Serpentine River, and in a few days, Garen made it to the Kaladoun Marshes. He walked quickly for most of the trip, and he figured he could use one day to rest at the marshes while waiting for Katarina. As he sat at the edge of the marshes, Garen sat down on the grass and lay back with his eyes closed. He thought about what he would do once Katarina and himself got to Demacia, or how they'd get through the gates in the first place. If Katarina wore something kinda formal, like her High Command outfit, then she might just be able to slip through the gates. Garen's now rugged look made him look like a different person. His different clothing and sword also contributed to the fact, and after much thinking, Garen felt confident that they'd make it past the gate. As he was laying down, he got nudged by a foot.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," a familiar voice said. Garen opened his eyes and saw Katarina, wearing her High Command outfit.

"You could at least tap me on the shoulder or something instead of nudging me with your foot. I don't know where your shoes have been," Garen mentioned as he sat up.

"You look like a rug anyway, so I don't see what's the big deal," Katarina said, putting her hands on her hips, "Our outfits don't match at all."

"Well, as usual, you look beautiful," Garen stood up and leaned forward to give Katarina a kiss, but she pointed a dagger at his face.

"Uh-uh. You only get lucky once in a while," she said. Garen blinked a few times. He figured Katarina had better judgement considering she hasn't shown any sign that she was head over heels for him. Garen reached over to hold Katarina's hand. Katarina took a step back, and shook her head. "I said, you only get lucky once in a while," she repeated. Garen sighed then bowed his head lightly, and Katarina walked past him, in Demacia's direction.

The two started walking side by side, and conversed to each other as time passed by. Garen told stories about his childhood in Demacia, and Katarina would explain the layout of Noxus in response. When the sun was at it's peak in the sky, Garen and Katarina sought refuge under a tree. The two sat on opposite sides of the tree and they both fell asleep, taking a quick nap to pass the time. Garen had a little dream that he was arrested when they arrived in Demacia, and Katarina was given the chance to return to Noxus. However, Demacia's zero-tolerance in their way of life would most likely lead to Katarina being imprisoned as well. Garen woke up, and the sun moved down the skyline. He felt something leaning on him and he smiled widely. He went to pass his hand at what was leaning on him, but he cut his palm as his hand brushed against the cutting edge of his sword. Garen thought it was Katarina. Meanwhile, as Garen was wincing, Katarina was on a branch, watching Garen cut himself, and stifled a laugh. In the process, however, she lost her balance and started to fall. Despite her desperate grab for the branch, she couldn't reach it and gravity pulled her down towards the ground. Katarina planned to spin around and land on her feet, but instead, Garen caught her in mid-air. She lightly slapped his face.

"I was going to land by myself, you know," Katarina protested.

"You would have broken your ankle, or both your ankles if you landed the way you were going to," Garen stated.

"Why are you so considerate? Seriously, it's starting to get freaky," Katarina said.

"Didn't I tell you? You are precious to me. You're something I have to protect."

"I can protect myself, thank you very much."

Garen was stumped. Really, he didn't have any other reason besides liking her personality. However, her personality was exactly what was preventing them from getting into a relationship. The old Garen would be similar to the old Katarina; loyal to their homes and wouldn't let anything get in the way to adulterate their devotion. Now, Garen's all in favor of loving Katarina, while Katarina is in favor of allowing Garen to fall for her. She hasn't decided if she'd fall for Garen herself. It wouldn't make her father happy if she married an exile. Besides, exiled or not exiled, Garen was Demacian. There would truly be an opposition to a relationship between the two, but if you look at it from a peaceful perspective, their marriage might just forge an alliance between Demacia and Noxus, and end the war going on. However, she doubted Demacia would even consider peace with Noxus unless Demacia gets its way, and vice versa. Katarina sighed. Garen falling in love with her really raised a lot of problems, and their going to Demacia doesn't really help. But this was the least she could do. After all, she owed Garen companionship after abandoning him in the Ironspike Mountains. As the sun set in the distance, Garen and Katarina sought a place to rest, and they settled down under a wide tree who's roots jutted out of the ground and acted like walls to cover them. As Garen sat down and leaned his back against the tree, Katarina pulled out two rations that she managed to sneak from the pantry, and she tossed one to Garen.

"Eat up. That's all you're gonna get unless you find us an inn when we arrive in Demacia," Katarina said.

Garen started eating, and Katarina soon followed. Garen was finished eating in an instant. Katarina looked at Garen's face and saw that there was a smudge on the side of his mouth, so she wiped it off with her thumb. Garen looked at Katarina for a moment, but she played it off like nothing and kept eating. Garen looked away, then looked up. He frowned, there were clouds in the sky and the treetop blocked the small patch of starry sky that was actually visible. Katarina looked up after noticing Garen's frown, then swallowed what was in her mouth.

"It's a shame we can't see the stars tonight," she said.

"That's fine. At least I can still see your beautiful face," Garen said, looking at Katarina's jade eyes.

"Is my face really the only thing that you admire?"

"I like you for who you are."

"Not what I was looking for, but I'll settle for that."

Garen stretched and stood up. Katarina looked at Garen, "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Just stretching," Garen responded, "If we run into trouble and I'm not limbered up, I may not be effective."

"Well, that's okay. I'll protect you," Katarina said. It wasn't until Garen turned around and looked at her funnily that she started to blush, "I don't want anyone else defeating you, that's all!"

Garen laughed, then gave Katarina a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Katarina. I'll protect you too."

As it got late, Katarina and Garen lay down beside each other and stared at the treetop. Katarina had her hands over her stomach while Garen had his hands below his head. Garen looked over to Katarina, then she looked back at him.

"Touch me while we're sleeping and I'll make sure you don't wake up," Katarina threatened.

Garen grinned and looked back at the treetop. He figured tomorrow was going to be a big day. They were practically at Demacia's doorstep, and it would be good if they got a good night's rest. "Good night, Katarina," he said before closing his eyes. Katarina grunted in reply. After a few minutes of silence, Katarina looked at Garen's sleeping face. She always wondered what it was like to sleep while cuddling. She's heard about it before from other women, but she was curious as to how it would feel. However, before she took action, she visualized what it would look like from another person's perspective, and she decided against it. Too touchy, in her opinion.

"You're an odd person, you know that?" Katarina whispered to the sleeping Garen. "You're not afraid to convey your feelings even though it would have bad consequences..." she added. She smiled faintly soon after that, "But I guess that's what I like about you," she said. Katarina caressed Garen's cheek and whispered, "You can take a break tonight. I'll handle things." Katarina took a deep breath before putting her dagger by her hand, just to be ready for any threat, and she lay there awake, acting as a watchman for Garen.

The next day, Garen ended up having to give Katarina a piggyback ride since she ran out of energy by the time daybreak came. Katarina felt lighter than Garen thought, and it felt good once in a while to just carry a girl on his back. Of course, he's done it to Lux multiple times before since she was usually clumsy when she's not doing anything of importance, and she'd bruise her knees or sprained her ankle, or maybe even both. Garen sighed again. Returning to Demacia meant seeing familiar faces in addition to the familiar sights. He thought about what he'd do if her were to encounter someone that he was close to. It was probably best to avoid Jarvan or Shyvana. If he saw one of them, the other is close by. Xin wasn't too bad to see. The two were rather brotherly to each other, and he could trust Xin not to tell anyone that he was in town. Of course, Lux would be ecstatic to see Garen again, but he didn't want her to react negatively since Katarina would stand out so much in the crowd. Now that he thought about it, her wearing her High Command outfit was probably the worst idea if they were going to sneak into Demacia. Garen barely saw Fiora and Vayne around, and Sona couldn't be trusted. He fought with her in his most recent match, and no doubt she told Jarvan about his activities in the Fields of Justice. By noon, Garen saw Demacia over the distance and he moved his shoulder a bit to make Katarina's head move in order to wake her up.

"Hey, Katarina... We're almost there," Garen said, looking at his city-state for the first time in several months. Katarina slowly woke up, and when she did, she pushed on Garen's back indicating that she'd want to stand on her own, and Garen promptly put her down. The two stood side by side as they looked on at Demacia. The city gleamed in the sunlight, and the majestic flags fluttered in the wind. What a beautiful sight.

"Say..." Katarina started.

"What is it?" Garen responded.

"You should move to Noxus. We treat those who have great strength well over there. You'll do great terrorizing other people too, with that growing beard of yours."

"Hey, this beard here is what would save me from detection. Your High Command outfit can and will warrant an attack by the Dauntless Vanguard."

"What do you want me to do, go there naked?" Katarina put a hand on her waist.

"Well..."

"Don't worry about it. Your Dauntless Vanguard wouldn't dare touch me if they know what's good for them," Katarina said, before starting to walk ahead.

At the gates, two guards stopped Garen and Katarina and confronted them.

"What is your business here?" a guard demanded.

"We're here to visit," Garen replied. He was thankful the guards didn't notice him.

"Visit?" The guard looked at Garen questioningly, then turned his gaze to Katarina. He recognized her off the bat, and Katarina gave him a glare, which intimidated the guard.

"Yes." Garen replied to the guard.

"I don't trust these guys... What is the Sinister Blade doing right here?" the other guard whispered to his partner.

"I don't know... but we should alert the Prince immediately..." whispered one of the guards back, before he started walking away. Katarina grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to her.

"Listen, here. If you keep quiet about my presence here, I'll make sure you and your family get to see the next day. Is that understood?" Katarina demanded.

"Y-Yes, ma'am..." The guard responded before allowing the two inside.

Once inside, Garen sighed. He looked at the streets and felt very nostalgic. It felt like it had been years since he last was in Demacia, but here he was now, just several months later. He started walking around with Katarina at his side, and she looked around the city, making a mental map in her head. As Garen was walking, he stopped in front of a building and Katarina bumped into his back since she was busy looking at the buildings and streets.

"We'll get an inn for now. Then we can roam around a bit more," Garen said.

"Sounds fine to me," Katarina responded.

Garen entered the inn first, followed by Katarina, and the patrons of the inn turned around at the newcomers. They drew their swords upon recognition of the Noxian uniform, but Garen lifted his hand and said, "She is my bride, and her most formal attire is what you see now."

"Does that mean you're the Might of Demacia?" one patron yelled.

"Yes."

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were exiled!" Another patron yelled.

"Worry not, I'm only here to stay for a night. I'm travelling to Bandle City from Freljord, and I figured I'd stop by my hometown first."

"So, what's the Sinister Blade doing with you?"

"Like I said, she is my bride."

The patrons hesitated, but calmed down after that and returned to their businesses, and Garen approached the innkeeper and requested a room for the both of them. As they were climbing the stairs to their room, Katarina prodded Garen's back with her knife. "I'm gonna make you pay for that," she said with a red face. However, once they reached their door, a familiar voice called out to Garen.

"Brother?"


	7. Chapter 7

Lux stood by the railings of the stairs and looked wide-eyed at Garen and Katarina. She slowly approached Garen and she reached up to touch his face. Garen held Lux's hand and pressed it against his cheek, then hugged his sister tightly. His brown hair contemplated Lux's blonde hair, and her armor was warm from her own body heat. Garen kissed Lux's cheek and ear before pulling away from the hug, and he smiled at her. Katarina awkwardly watched in the background.

"Luxanna, it's been a while," Garen said to his little sister.

"I've been looking for you ever since you were exiled... where were you, brother?" Lux replied.

"I've been staying at-" Garen stopped himself. If he couldn't tell Katarina, then he sure as hell can't tell Lux, "...staying at random places across Valoran."

"No wonder I couldn't pinpoint your location!" Lux exclaimed. She hugged her brother again but then saw Katarina over his shoulder. While she was in Garen's arms, she asked, "Umm... What is the Sinister Blade doing here...?"

"She's with me. We're travelling together," Garen said.

Katarina stepped up and explained her own view, "We're travelling across Valoran to find an ancient artifact. We encountered Cho'Gath in the Ironspike Mountains and the artifact is believed to have the ability to open a portal to the void."

"A portal to the void? That's dangerous! Did the Institute of War send you to do this?" Lux asked.

"No. We're here on our own accord," Garen stated. He turned back to Katarina, "Isn't that right?"

"Right," Katarina muttered.

"Well, you two should get settled in! I should tell Jarvan that you're back!" Lux exclaimed before starting to head off. Garen stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Jarvan is the last person we'd want to inform about our presence. It's best to keep him in the dark," Garen whispered.

"But... isn't that illegal?" Lux looked questioningly at her brother.

"Me being here is illegal," Garen pointed out. Lux looked sad when she heard that.

Lux clung onto Garen's arm the three went into Katarina and Garen's room. Katarina was slightly annoyed by the way Lux was acting, but she was also a tad bit jealous. Garen looked extremely happy to be with Lux, but it seemed like being with Katarina was just work for Garen. It couldn't be helped, it was in her nature to act like how she acts around Garen, or any other person out there. Garen was just able to put up with it. Besides, he did say that he liked her personality, right? Why was she getting jealous over a little brother-sister bonding when Garen's heart has already been captured by Katarina? Whatever the problem was, Katarina did not display her troubled mind through her face, and she sat down on the bed. She then noticed there was only one bed. That clever Garen... He got one room so they could sleep together in one bed. But then again, they've already slept beside each other twice. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. Lux kept chattering with Garen, and it seemed like it rattled Katarina's brains. How could one be so talkative? There was no one like this in Noxus, and Lux's liveliness was alien to Katarina. Garen seemed to be enjoying Lux's talkative-ness, as shown by his wide smile. All Lux talked about was what she did while Garen was exiled anyway, and it wasn't as if it was anything important. All of a sudden, one question from Lux made Garen turn extremely red.

"Is she pregnant? Is that why you've returned?" Lux asked as she pointed to Katarina.

"Of course not!" Katarina denied, but Lux has a sly look on her face.

"Yeah, right! I bet you two have shared multiple moments together if you're okay sharing one bed!" Lux commented. Then, she runs her hand through her hair as she flicked it back, "No matter... Big brother loves his sister more!"

"What was that?" Katarina yelled.

"Huuu... Are you jealous?"

"N-No! Of course not! That's ridiculous!"

Garen, being caught in the crossfire, decided to remain quiet. He would sigh as Lux and Katarina jabbed at each other with verbal attacks, then suddenly a question was asked straight into his direction.

"Who do you like more?" Katarina and Lux asked simultaneously.

"Umm... Katarina," Garen said, and prepared for the onslaught of words that Lux was going to unleash. After Katarina gave a victorious "hmph," Lux started lecturing Garen about how family should come first. She sounded like his mother, and it was really weird. She was lecturing him about being responsible, and having a stable job and all all that, and eventually it led to how he should raise a family and all. It was like she was planning out his life for him. Suddenly he was being shaken by Lux while she continued to chatter on. Garen held Lux's shoulders and told her to sit down. She did so, being the ever obedient little sister that she was, and stopped talking.

"Ugh. And I thought she wouldn't stop," Katarina commented.

"You're not helping, you know," Garen stated. Katarina turned her head away and looked out the window.

Lux stood up and tackled Garen, but Garen didn't budge and it looked like a lunge-hug instead. "I missed you a lot. I really do," Lux said.

"I missed you too," Garen replied.

"Too bad you're not going to be here for too long," Lux said, pulling away from the hug.

"Of course. I'm still exiled," Garen pointed out, which made Lux wilt.

"I wonder what I could do to make the Prince lift your sentence..." Lux said, and started to think.

"Don't worry about that. I'll come visit often," Garen reassured Lux.

Lux perked up a bit, then smiled at Garen. Garen returned the smile.

"So... are we going to head out?" Katarina asked after clearing her throat.

"Oh, of course!" Garen turned to Lux, "I'm going to take Katarina out around Demacia. Maybe we'll visit you at home later," Garen said.

"We won't stay long at your house, of course," Katarina added.

"It works for me! Mom and Dad are out of the house this whole week, so I can entertain some guests," Lux said.

"Alright, we'll meet you tonight," Garen said before they all left the inn.

Lux went home, and Garen took Katarina to see the sights around Demacia. Katarina took down mental notes in her mind of the layout of Demacia. They just roamed around, avoiding guard patrols and taking back alleys to travel from one district to another to avoid detection. Garen, being the genius that he was, made out with Katarina when Jarvan came strolling down the street with Shyvana to deter them from recognizing the two. Katarina gave him a good serving of slaps right after, and they continued their little tour of Demacia. When it was starting to get dark, Garen took Katarina to a restaurant and treated her to dinner.

"Well, aren't you a gentleman?" Katarina stated with a hint of sarcasm.

"Took you out on a tour, might as well get a date out of it," Garen reasoned.

"You're such an opportunist, you know that?" Katarina commented.

"You look stunning."

"You look like a rug."

"You're beautiful."

"You're rugged."

The two kept exchanging adjectives throughout dinner, and when they were done, Katarina had allowed Garen to hold her hand across the table. They were the only customers in the restaurant, and it gave them some sort of privacy.

"I love you," Garen said.

"...I know," Katarina responded hesitantly. She didn't want to say "I love you too," for it sounded like she had completely changed. She liked being herself, and all these changes to be with Garen had been taxing on her lately. Suddenly, someone approached them from the shadows. It seemed that Talon followed Katarina.

"I had a feeling you were up to no good," Talon said, before he grabbed Katarina's wrist.

Katarina was taken off guard by the sudden grab, and when Garen stood up, Talon disappeared with Katarina as blades flew out around the restaurant. Garen got hit with a few, but he shrugged them off like the man he was, and when he recovered, there wasn't a trace of Katarina or Talon. Garen sighed, then paid the bill with what money he had left, saving a little for a surprise, and exited the restaurant. The night was still young, and Garen roamed the streets. The night lights from people's residences or the lanterns that lit the vendor's stalls illuminated Garen's path, and he stopped by a flower stall. He took a gander at the flowers available, then had trouble picking one. He showed his indecisiveness on his face, and the vendor decided to help him out.

"You know, the red ones are really nice this time of year," the vendor said.

"Oh really? Well, I'll take one," Garen said, taking a red flower and presenting his money to the vendor. After their little transaction, Garen started walking again, twirling the red flower in his hands. After following a few backalleys and arriving at a grand house, Garen knocked on the door. He hid the flower behind his back.

"Who is it?" a feminine voice rang from the otherside of the door.

"Luxanna? It's me," Garen said.

The door opened soon after that, and Lux smiled as she saw her brother standing in the doorway. Garen presented the flower to Lux and her smile widened. As she took the flower, she motioned for him to enter the house. As he was inside, Lux started removing Garen's armor and set them neatly on a table, and finally, Lux showed Garen his old room. It was just as he had left it the day he was exiled, and it seemed that Lux had tidied it up while he was gone. As Garen entered his room, Lux looked on. When Garen sat down on his bed, Lux ran to her room to get something. In a moment, she was back and she gave a letter to Garen. It had the royal seal of Jarvan IV on it.

"From the Prince?" Garen asked Lux. She nodded. Garen opened the letter and read through it. It contained an apology and a legal document stating that he was to report to the headquarters of the Dauntless Vanguard, and he was to return to being commander of the Dauntless Vanguard as soon as he gets situated back into the city-state after certain protocols. Garen figured that Jarvan watched the battle from Freljord as well as the next one, since Sona was in it. Somewhere in the letter mentioned, "I have noticed that you perform even better with the Sinister Blade of Noxus by your side," and that might have been a sign that Jarvan had confirmed the rumor that the Might of Demacia harbored feelings for the Sinister Blade. Jarvan might have planned something behind the scenes, but there was not a way to know but to comply to the letter's requirements.

"Welcome home, brother," Lux said as she sat down beside Garen. "Come, I'll give you a haircut and I'll shave that beard off. You look like a homeless man."

"Very funny," Garen said, reluctant to get his current look changed. Katarina dropped hints that she liked his rugged look, and he didn't want to change. He sighed and took a bath, then came out and saw Lux preparing his clothes. It was nice to be back. Finally, after dressing up, Garen's eyes started to drop. He quickly retired to his bed and lay down, but he felt someone sneak up to his bed and snuggle up next to him. As he looked under his blanket, he saw Lux, and he told her to go to her own room, however she refused to move.

"It's been a while since we did this," Lux commented. The last time she slept beside her brother was when they were children, or that one time when Lux was very nervous about passing the final test of the academy. Garen was the one who suggested that she sleep beside him that night, and lo and behold, Lux passed the test because she was reassured by her brother's presence.

"It has. I thought you were old enough to sleep by yourself," Garen said.

"I can't help it. It's been forever since I last saw you," Lux replied, snuggling more into Garen's body.

Garen then kissed Lux's forehead, "I'm home."

"Yes, yes you are. Now tell me, what was the real reason that you're with the Sinister Blade?"

"Good night, Luxanna."

"Answer the question, brother."

"We agreed to visit Demacia together, that's all."

"You know, you can tell me if you've defected to Noxus..."

"No! I haven't defected to Noxus. That's the last thing I'll ever do."

"Then why did you bring her here?"

"It just... seemed like a good idea at the time," Garen said with a sigh.

"Well, you do know she could be using you to get an insight to Demacia's infrastructure and find a way to sneak in, right?"

"That's a possibility. I guess I haven't been thinking things through well enough."

"Well, it's your first night back. I'll let you rest for now," Lux said as she nuzzled Garen's neck.

Garen sighed again, then stared at the ceiling.


	8. Chapter 8

Garen lay awake for several hours. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't because of Lux snuggling up to his body, rather it was the fact that Talon was able to sneak up on Katarina and whisk her away as mysteriously as he had appeared. Had Demacia's security loosened, or was it because he was so infatuated with Katarina that he did not notice Talon sneaking around with them. As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, Garen couldn't help but think what would happen to Katarina. Surely, she was in some kind of danger now that Talon caught her red-handed going on a date with Garen. More importantly, Talon appeared right after Garen told Katarina that he loves her. That was a dead give away that something has developed between Katarina and himself. With a sigh, Garen turned to his side and looked at Lux's sleeping face. She seemed very comfortable cuddling her big brother as shown by the faint smile that was evident on her face, combined with her muttering of Garen's name every now and then. Garen ran a finger across Lux's cheek, then closed his eyes as he tried to go to sleep. Sunrise came, and Garen was still unable to go to sleep. He lay there awake despite having his eyes closed. Lux started to wake up as she rubbed her eyes and stretched with a yawn, then slowly opened her eyes and peered into Garen's eyes.

"Good morning, brother," Lux whispered as she kissed Garen's cheek.

"Morning, Luxanna. Did you rest well?" Garen asked.

"Why, yes. I was very warm too," Lux said, closing her eyes and nuzzling Garen's neck.

"Glad you've had a nice night," Garen said as he smiled, then kissed Lux's hair.

"How about you?" Lux said while burying her face into Garen's neck.

"I slept well," Garen lied. He knew Lux was going to force him to go to sleep if he said he didn't get a good night's rest.

"That's good," Lux said before pulling away from Garen and sitting up to stretch more. Garen sat up as well, then looked at Lux. She was wearing a shirt and extremely short shorts. Garen sighed. Lux hasn't changed. Still wearing really provocative clothing inside the house.

Several hours later, Garen and Lux head out of their home. Lux requested that Garen walk her to the Academy before heading out to his daily activities, and so Garen was stuck with Lux as she wrapped her arm around his as they walked the streets of Demacia. Everyone greeted Lux, but they didn't quite recognize Garen in his rugged outfit. Garen and Lux walked together, arms linked until they reached the entrance of the Academy.

"Here we are!" Lux exclaimed as she let go of her brother and spun on her heel to look at him, "Be back here by sundown, and we can walk home together!"

"I'll be here," Garen replied, then watched as his sister climbed the stairs to the Academy's doors. He turned around and left the Academy as soon as Lux closed the door behind her.

With his rugged look, everyone was intimidated by Garen. He walked the streets over to the Dauntless Vanguard's headquarters, and immediately went to the armory. In the armory were, of course, weapons of every sort that the Dauntless Vanguard used, as well as armor sets and shields. There were also crafting tables and anvils and grindstones and all the tools necessary for maintaining weapons. Several of the Dauntless Vanguard saluted Garen, as they would always remember their commander even though his features have changed. Garen saluted back, and started sharpening his sword on the grindstone. The whole armory was buzzing with conversations until the Prince came in, looking for Garen.

"Ah, there you are," Jarvan said as he walked over to Garen.

"Prince," Garen greeted Jarvan as he stood up and bowed his head slightly.

"As you were," Jarvan directed to the Dauntless Vanguard and they resumed their conversations. Garen returned to sharpening his sword on the grindstone. "I see you have returned."

"Indeed. I've spent the night at my house as well," Garen replied, not taking his eyes off of his blade.

"I trust that the Lady of Luminosity has given you my letter?"

"Indeed, she has."

"And?"

"I'll start today," Garen said, stopping the grinding stone and looking at Jarvan.

"That is excellent news, commander. However, you shall follow me."

"What for?"

"I see the Demacian in you has started to diminish."

"...I'll follow you, Prince."

"Good. We shall be off," Jarvan said as he exited the Dauntless Vanguard's headquarters with Garen behind him. They walked through the streets and went to the Palace, then Jarvan led Garen through a series of hallways, hallways which were familiar to Garen, and finally into an empty room.

"What is it that you want from me, Prince?" Garen inquired.

"I've heard word that the Sinister Blade was spotted in Demacia yesterday with a rugged-looking man wielding a massive sword. Is this true?"

"Yes, prince, it is true."

"And you spent the day taking her in and around Demacia despite knowing she is from Noxus. Is this true?"

"It is true..."

"Garen Crownguard. You have committed an act of treason against the city-state of Demacia. What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I fell in love, prince."

"Love. I understand love is a complex matter and shouldn't be trifled with, but that is no excuse to bring a Noxian assassin into Demacia."

"What is my punishment, oh great prince?"

"Oh, it is not punishment. You shall fight for Demacia once more. Word has it that Noxus is assembling a siege group outside their city gates. You are to sabotage the siege machines and return intact."

"How many men am I taking?"

"You're going by yourself," Jarvan said, then looked at Garen's eyes to see if he hesitated.

"I'm not allowed to bring a companion or two?"

"Unless someone wants to help the exile that brought a Noxian into his home, then you will be going alone."

"...Understood. When shall I go?"

"I shall release you at once. Go and make your preparations." Garen stood up and bowed lightly to Jarvan, then went towards the door. "Worry not. Should you fail to return in one week's time, I shall send men to recover your body," Jarvan said.

"Understood," Garen said, before exiting the room.

Garen wandered through the halls that Jarvan led him through and eventually found the exit, then he traversed the streets of Demacia to head over to the Academy. A guard stopped Garen at the entrance and requested his purpose for coming to the Academy.

"I am Garen Crownguard," Garen told the guard.

"You're an exile," the guard responded.

"I'm here to visit Luxanna Crownguard."

"And why should I allow your visit?"

"If you had a sister, wouldn't you want to give her a proper goodbye before you go on a suicide mission?"

"What's your point, exile?"

"I was given a task by the Prince himself, and I wish to say goodbye to my sister properly," Garen said, getting slightly irritated.

"Fine. I'll allow it just this once. But don't think you're getting inside a second time," the guard responded before opening the door to the academy.

Once inside, Garen started walking quietly around the place. Many of the students of the Academy stared at Garen for a bit as they walked past, then Garen sought out the library. There, he found Lux carrying a big stack of books, and he approached her and offered to help. Lux smiled and handed Garen the whole stack before walking cheerfully to a table. Garen placed the books down on the table and explained to her the whole ordeal with Jarvan.

"I'm coming with you!" Lux exclaimed after Garen finished.

"I cannot allow that, Luxanna. There's a high chance that I won't return," Garen said as he attempted to calm Lux down.

"All the more that I want to go! You can't do this by yourself!"

"Yes, I can! Don't you trust your own brother?"

"If my brother is going to die, then I would die beside him!"

"Do you hear yourself, Luxanna Crownguard? You're going to throw away your future for the trifles of your brother? No!"

"Why do you want to go alone so badly?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to be harmed! Why do you insist on coming along with me so badly?"

"...Because I love you, dammit!" Lux yelled then glared into Garen, tears forming at the side of her eyes.

"..." Garen was silenced. He didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to keep Lux safe and let her have a better future, but now she wants to sacrifice her life just to be with him. It was really touching, it truly was, but Garen wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Lux was harmed in this mission. He stared into Lux's eyes, her tears now rolling down her cheek. A decision must be made, and fast, but which should he take? Would he risk Lux's life by allowing her to go on a mission, or would he keep her safe but risk the development of resentment for one another? It was a tough choice, but someone had to make it. Lux certainly was waiting for his answer, and Garen manned up. He wouldn't fail if he was by himself. He was the Might of Demacia. Paired with a great support as the Lady of Luminosity, they might just be able to pull this off. Garen sighed and held Lux tightly in his arms, then kissed her head repeatedly. "Fine, fine... But we have to go as soon as possible."

"...Don't worry brother. I'm all ready as I am now," Lux replied, leaning her head on Garen's chest.

"Then we should get going."

The siblings set out of Demacia a few minutes later, and started journeying across Valoran to get to Noxus. They would go around the Institute of War so they wouldn't have to go through the myriad of protocols needed to enter the facility, and just traverse through continuously until they reach the siege machines outside the gates of Noxus. Lux was dressed in her classic outfit, and Garen was in his traditional outfit, but his hair and beard stayed. As the two were walking, they would converse, but mostly it was Lux who talked and Garen who listened. It was a completely different experience from when he walked to Demacia with Katarina, but Garen enjoyed it. Within a few days, they arrive at Noxus's outskirts. With the sun setting and darkness beginning to settle, Garen and Lux hid in a nearby brush and waited till the siege weapons were either unmanned or unguarded. Surely, Noxus wasn't that careless to leave war machines unguarded, but those guards are bound to be tired if they are working an all-night shift. Finally, with just a handful of guards watching over the siege machines, Garen pulled out his sword and Lux readied her wand.

"Ready?" Garen asked his little sister.

"Ready." Lux replied.

The two quietly snuck out of their brush, and proceeded to the first siege machine. Lux ensnared the first guard, and Garen silenced him soon after, then quietly dispatched of him by stabbing him through the heart. Garen made sure he hid the body into a brush, then proceeded through the next couple of guards. With the torchlight illuminating Garen, the guards almost began shouting until they were both hit simultaneously by a blade and a ball of light. There were about eight siege machines, all packed up tightly togehter, with about sixteen guards. With three down and thirteen to go, Garen forged onward, spinning like a top with his blade out to take out another five that were doing patrols around the siege machine's perimeter. Lux fired an anomaly of light towards a group of three soldiers and they stared at it for a while until it exploded, knocking them all out. With their teamwork, Garen and Lux was able to take out the remainder of the guards, but when they were doing a body count, Garen and Lux noticed that they were missing one body. All of a sudden, they heard a bell ringing, and they knew they were detected.

"Luxanna! Destroy the machines!" Garen ordered his sister.

Immediately, Lux fired a wide beam of light that lit the siege machines on fire and eventually they all crumbled down to ashes because of the beam's intense energy. However, as soon as she was finished, a flurry of blades came flying in her direction. Garen ran to Lux, but he didn't get there in time and all three blades embedded themselves into Lux's torso. Lux fell soon after, and Garen looked around to see who did it. Out from the shadows came Talon. He knew that targetting Lux would bring on the wrath of her brother, and surely enough, Garen came charging into Talon with his sword held high. Talon moved to the side as Garen brought his sword down and gave him a swift blow with his knee. Garen pulled his sword up and spun around, but Talon kept running backwards and snuck a few hits on Garen's weak points every chance he got. Eventually, Garen landed a blow at Talon's leg and caused the assassin to fall, but he disappeared in a flurry of blades which hit Garen, then when he came to, he saw Talon on top of Lux's body, a dagger pointed at her chest. Garen, upon realizing what the assassin was going to do, yelled out in despair.

"NOOOOOOO!" Garen ran at Talon, but Talon plunged his dagger into Lux's chest, and it punctured through her armor. Garen, tears in his eyes, ran faster and went to Lux's body. Talon started running but he threw his sword up in the air, only to land on Talon's shoulder in the form of Demacian Justice. Garen's anger and anguish flowed in the form of tears from his eyes, and he quickly retrieved his sword from Talon's body and scooped Lux into his arms and started running. He ran back to Demacia, certain that the Institute of War wouldn't offer help since they were the once keeping balance between Demacia and Noxus. Garen ran as fast and as far as he could until sunrise came, and he treated Lux's wounds. She was looking pale, and Garen was afraid that he wouldn't make it in time to Demacia. After just a few hours of resting, Garen carried Lux once more and started running again.

"Brother, you should leave me here..." Lux whispered to Garen as he ran.

"No! I won't leave you!" Garen said, choking on his tears. He regretted letting Lux come with him on this mission. But as usual, he thought it was a good idea at the time. Garen got to Demacia in a whopping 2-day journey, and he rushed to the hospital with Lux in his arms. The medical magicians took Lux in and they made Garen wait at the lobby. He started thinking about the worst, and he started bargaining. He should've been the one that was hurt. She didn't deserve any of the damage she took. She didn't deserve to be hurt at all. It was the big brother's role to take care of the little sister, yet she took most of the aggro off of him and paid the price. Garen buried his face into his palms as he cried, full of regret, and he awaited any report on Lux's condition.

"Garen Crownguard?" an unfamiliar voice called to him. Garen stood up and looked at the doctor.

"Yes, that is me. What is the situation with my sister?"

"...She's not exactly doing fine..." the doctor started. Garen faltered and lowered his head, "...but she isn't in a life-threatening situation either."

Garen looked up, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Have a look for yourself," the doctor said before ushering Garen into the room. He found Lux sitting up on the bed with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, Luxanna..." Garen said as he approached his sister and held her hand in his.

"Hello, brother," Lux replied.

"Are you alright? Did the doctors do a good job healing you?" Garen asked, caressing his sister's hand.

"They did their best. They said I should be free to go in three days."

"Three days? What for?" Garen turned to the doctor.

"We found an unknown poison in her system, and had to resort to potent healing magic. We're giving her three days to recover from the mana strain that may affect physical movement," the doctor explained.

"Well, thank you very much, doctor," Garen said, then kissed Lux's forehead before the doctor and Garen went out of the room. "So, how much do I have to pay?"

"Don't worry about that, old friend." Jarvan IV said, who had his back leaned against the wall, "You've proven yourself a Demacian, and the fact that you completed the mission AND care about your sister's welfare is enough evidence for me that you are not completely lost to us."

"Prince!" Garen looked at Jarvan, surprised.

"All the hospital expenses shall be paid by the crown. You do not have to pay for anything," Jarvan said, then went over to clasp Garen's shoulder, "But seriously, get a haircut and shave the beard off."

"Haha, very well. I'll do that as soon as Lux gets better. She wanted to do that for me," Garen said, clasping Jarvan's shoulder as well.

"Well, I came to check on you and the Lady of Luminosity. I see that she is in good hands now. I'll be at the palace should you need me," Jarvan said before heading out.

Garen saw Jarvan out, then the doctor excused himself from Garen's presence, and Garen returned to Lux's side. He took her hand into his and kissed the back of Lux's hand, which earned a giggle from her. She started talking about her dreams while the doctors were healing her, and Garen listened intently to his sister's stories. Finally, Lux put Garen's palm on her cheek as she stared ever so lovingly into her brother's eyes.

"I love you," Lux said.

Garen put his other hand on her other cheek and brought his lips to her forehead and then leaned his forehead gently on Lux's forehead, "I love you too."

Lux had a sleep-filled three days in the hospital, and Garen had a sleepless three days watching over her, always keeping himself awake to make sure he can get Lux whatever she needed should she ask for it. As Lux was being discharged, the alarm bell of Demacia rang. Suddenly every staff member in the hospital rushed to and fro, preparing open beds and getting fresh supplies. Garen and Lux knew what the alarm was about, but it seemed that some of the younger Demacians in the hospital had no clue what was going on. Garen walked to a father who was sitting by his son's bed, and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He told him to stay with his son no matter what happens. Afterwards, Lux and Garen rushed to their workplace; Lux to the Academy, and Garen to the Dauntless Vanguard's barracks. Demacia was under siege.

The rush for preparations went by in a blur, and Garen had no idea how much time has passed since he left the hospital, but they were sure as hell it was the Noxians who did this. In the midst of civilians retreating to their designated safe zone and Demacian soldiers rushing to the frontlines stood Garen, in his classic outfit, along with the sword he was known for. He took a deep breath, then started walking to the front lines. He carried an air of calmness around despite of the chaos going on in his home city. Soldiers ran to and fro, avoiding Garen like an obstacle. Soon enough, he was at the city outskirts, where the men have assembled and were waiting patiently for the orders to be given. As Garen went to the head of the Dauntless Vanguard regiment, Jarvan IV came over to Garen and briefed him to the situation. It seemed that Noxus siege machines that Jarvan sent Lux and Garen to destroy were meant to draw the two out, so that the attention wouldn't be towards the bigger and badder machines that they were making within Noxus.

"I should have paid more attention," Jarvan said, looking a little regretful of his orders.

"Do not worry, Prince. We shall lead our men to victory," Garen reassured his childhood companion.

After their brief exchange of words, Jarvan rode out to lead another regiment at the North side. Garen was leading the Dauntless Vanguard to guard the East. As the siege weapons threw heavy projectiles to Demacia's magical defensive wall that was created and maintained by magicians in the Academy, the ground rumbled as the Noxian forces visibly started to charge raised his sword and yelled, "Charge!" as he ran, and the battlecry of the Dauntless Vanguard echoed in the air. "Demacia!" the resounding voices of the Demacian forces yelled. It didn't take too long for the two armies to crash into each other in the middle of the battlefield. Garen cleaved through many soldiers due to his spin to win technique, and soon he found himself, along with his men, in the middle of the enemy ranks. The clamor of battle and the sound of war rang through each and every warrior's ears, and the warm blood of their enemies splattered on the ground and on their weapons. The breaking of bones or the cutting open of flesh, everything made a sound. The panting of a soldier, the drop of a sweat, the blink of an eye. Everything had a sound in the field of battle, and you couldn't keep track of time. Garen bashed a soldier with his fist and hit him upside the head with his sword, then swung his sword to the side to cleave through the man next to his imminent attacker. The man hesitated which allowed Garen to beat him with his enormous fist.

Several hours of fighting between the Noxians and the Demacians passed, and it seemed that both sides had an infinite amount of soldiers. More and more came out to fight from Demacia, and more and more Noxians appeared in the fields. The frontlines wavered. One hour, it is pushed into Noxian territory, the next, it is closer to Demacia. The siege weapons continued launching flaming projectiles at the magic barrier of Demacia. Garen, now covered in blood, took hold of the Demacian flag from a flag bearer and drove it straight into the enemy forces, signaling his men to push forward. Minutes later, the Dauntless Vanguard had gained the ground they lost, and started pushing farther. The Demacians fought harder when they saw Garen bravely running towards the enemy lines. However, Garen's advance was stopped when he saw the beautiful familiar face of Katarina.

"You...! What are you doing here?" Katarina exclaimed.

"I'm defending my home, which you are attacking!" Garen replied, as he thrusted the tip of the flag at Katarina. She dodged it deftly, then threw a dagger at Garen's shoulder.

Katarina and Garen were locked in a deadly waltz as they fought against each other in the middle of all the fighting going on. Since the flag of Demacia didn't move forward, the men knew that they had to hold the line. Deft moves and heavy attacks were exchanged between the two, but due to three days of not getting proper rest, Garen started losing. Katarina stood in front of Garen's kneeling form, and pointed her dagger at Garen's neck. Suddenly, behind Katarina's back a lot of men flew off of their feet, and soon, a big man appeared beside Katarina.

"Darius, I got this," Katarina said to Darius, the hand of Noxus.

"Nonsense. He would already be dead if you handled this properly," Darius shoved Katarina to the side as he raised his axe above his head as he swung it down at Garen's head. However, Garen raised his sword and blocked Darius's axe. Darius's heavy attacks made Garen's hands numb from the shockwave that ran through his weapon. Garen struggled for a moment, but he stabbed the flag of Demacia into the ground and used two hands on his weapon as he charged into Darius with a decisive strike. Darius swung his axe horizontally and Garen ducked below the attack as he spun again. However, Darius stopped Garen from spinning as he slammed his axe into Garen's shoulder. Garen fell down to his knee, but he threw a solid punch to Darius's knee, which caused the Hand of Noxus to take a few steps back. Katarina watched from a distance. She knew there was no stopping these two, but she knew Garen was on the losing side. He was already battered by leading his men in the first charge, and he also fought Katarina, now he has to endure another beating with Darius. Darius was the most feared warrior of Noxus, and Garen was one of the most revered fighters of Demacia. It was just the battle of the legends, and Katarina couldn't help but stop Garen from being hurt after seeing him take a solid hit at the side of his head from the flat of Darius's axe.

"Garen, Darius is very powerful. It'd be smart of you to run away, if you can," Katarina said.

"I see the difference in our power... but this man is corrupted. I can see it in his eyes. His eyes give off the lust for power, like most Noxians do," Garen said, struggling to get up since his balance was thrown off by the most recent blow he received.

"Don't worry, Katarina. Your pathetic self couldn't land a scratch on this man," Darius said as he approached Garen. Garen jumped up and struck Darius's shoulder with his sword, taunted by Darius's insult to Katarina, which elicited a spinning attack from the Hand of Noxus. However, the Might of Demacia continued his barrage of attacks before spinning around as well, dealing intense damage to Darius. The two clashed their weapons together in the form of swift, heavy attacks. Sparks flew out of their weapons every time they met, and but Garen was driven to the ground once more by Darius's superior power. Darius swung his axe down on Garen, but Garen rolled to the side, barely avoiding the deadly chop. It had been raining for a few minutes now, and the ground soon developed muddy water. As Garen was on the ground, Darius kicked the muddy water into Garen's eyes, and brought his axe down on his shoulder. Luckily, Garen's armor was thick enough to withstand the impact, but it crushed Garen's shoulder bone from momentum alone. Garen wiped the mud off of his eyes and saw Darius's huge figure before him, and the next thing he knew was Darius's hand had grabbed Garen's head and slammed it on the ground. Darius then stomped on Garen's chest before jumping into the air, swinging his axe downward at Garen. As a reflex, Garen snapped and a massive sword impaled itself on Darius's shoulder, barely missing his head by a few centimeters. Darius's ultimate move was canceled, but he made a final swing at Garen's abdomen, which punctured through his armor and tore flesh. However, the Demacians were already past the area of battle as they drove Noxian forces away, and Darius had to be hauled by 7 people to retreat.

Garen stood there, oblivious to the rain beating down on his head and body. His energy oozed out of him like how his blood flew from the massive wound on his body. As he fell, Katarina ran to Garen and held him in her arms. She laid his head on her lap and applied pressure to his chest as much as she could.

"No...! No...! Don't leave me!" Katarina yelled out in desperation.

"Hehe... Are you worried, Sinister Blade...?" Garen weakly said.

"You! Don't talk!" Katarina said, her voice wavering. Garen couldn't tell if she was crying or not because of the rain.

"Did we win...?" Garen asked as he grabbed Katarina's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Yes... yes you did. For a gravely injured man, you sure have a strong grip..." Katarina said, sobbing slightly.

"That Darius guy sure was strong..." Garen said, his eyes fluttering as he struggled to keep them open.

"Of course he is...! He's the Hand of Noxus!"

"...But I'm the Might of Demacia."

"Enough talking! You'll survive, do you hear me?" Katarina looked at the Demacian soldiers running past her, "I'll get you help..." Katarina said, but Garen grabbed onto her arm.

"Don't leave..." Garen whispered. He winced, then looked at Katarina's eyes.

"But I have to get you help!"

"Don't worry about me... I just need one thing from you..."

"What is it?"

"I never heard your response when I told you that I love you..."

"I told you, I know that you love me!"

"And...?"

"I love you too!" Katarina yelled before hugging Garen's head. She started crying completely now, and the rain kept falling. It rained harder, in fact, and soon, Demacian soldiers surrounded Katarina and Garen. They took Garen and rushed him to the hospital, while they took Katarina prisoner.

The last image Garen could see was Katarina's crying face as she was dragged away. After that, everything went dark. 


	9. Chapter 9

Lux was sitting down in the lobby of Demacia's hospital, crying, when Shyvana came to visit her and sat down beside her. Shyvana was in her Ironscale outfit, and she put both arms around the crying Lux. Shyvana had heard of Garen's encounter with the Hand of Noxus, and she went to check up on him on behalf of Jarvan IV, who was busy giving condolences to the families of the fallen. Shyvana rubbed Lux's shoulders and hugged her close, but Lux kept on crying. She felt very guilty for the injuries Garen sustained in his battle, and she wished she had been there to protect him.

"It's all my fault, Shyvana... It's all my fault... I just had to be careless and get injured on a mission..." Lux grieved.

"Your brother is strong, Luxanna, I'm sure he will pull through," Shyvana replied.

"He stayed awake for three days... It's natural he would lose...! But if only he got rest... only if I wasn't so needy..."

"Don't talk like that, Luxanna. I'm sure the Might of Demacia wouldn't like hearing his sister talking so badly of herself."

"But it's true!"

"I don't care whether or not it's true. What matters now is that you believe in your brother, and that you repay his kindness to you by being there in his time of need," Shyvana encouraged.

"I don't know... Being there feels like I'm watching him suffer..."

"So, you'd rather run away?"

"No, but..."

"Then don't. You just have to accept, it was not your fault."

"It's going to be hard..."

"And it's a challenge you are willing to take," Shyvana held Lux's cheeks to make eye contact, "I'm sure you will prevail, and your brother will be proud."

"If you say so, Shyvana..." Lux said, before holding onto Shyvana tightly.

Meanwhile, in a prison cell beneath Demacia's streets...

"Here is where you'll stay. We won't allow visitors, so better get used to that cell of yours," a guard said before locking up Katarina inside.

Somberly, Katarina sat down on her cot and stared at her bloodsoaked hands and clothes. Garen's blood was still on her pants, and the image of Garen taking the hit from Darius's axe that literally took Garen off his feet was embedded into her brain. She just couldn't believe that things could end up like this. She didn't think she'd develop feelings for Garen that would be so strong that she felt sadness and loss at the sight of Garen getting hurt. The tears in her eyes dried up, but if she allowed it, they would still be pouring down her eyes. Has she grown so attached to Garen? Did she already fall in love with him without her noticing? All the recent times she spent with Garen, he did nothing but be nice and... just be the man he could be. All Katarina did was threaten him and put him down. She felt so ashamed of herself that she buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply. He even defended her when Darius insulted her. Really, what a gentleman. He fought for her, he lost for her, he won for her, and he nearly died for her. Everything he's done recently has been for her, and she had completely no reason not to have said "I love you too" before Garen forced it out of her.

"Oh Garen... What will I do now...? Will I ever see you again, Garen? Garen, please... please live..." Katarina whispered to herself. Afterwards, she lay down on her cot and closed her eyes. Outside, she was calm. Inside, she was crying.

A few days have passed, and Garen has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and into a regular hospital room. Lux stayed with Garen, watching over him, while either Jarvan or Shyvana coming to visit every now and then to keep Lux company. Garen has been sleeping for the past few days, and Lux worried that Garen might have slipped into a coma, but the doctors reassured her that it was only a matter of time before Garen wakes up. Sure enough, on the 6th day in the hospital, Garen slowly opened his eyes. At first, everything was white and very bright, and they settled down soon enough. He saw Lux sleeping in a chair beside his bed, and he looked around himself. At that point, he found out that he was in the hospital, for he had no idea where he was. He cleared his throat, and Lux jolted awake at the sound. She looked around sleepily, then yawned. The image of Lux as she yawned was just cute. She just yawned in this cute way, like a puppy. She then looked at Garen and noticed he was awake. Immediately, her sleepy eyes widened and she smiled brightly.

"Brother!" Lux exclaimed.

Garen smiled at Lux, then raised his hand slightly. Lux held it in her own hand.

"You're awake!" Lux ecstaticly said.

"Yeah..." Garen weakly replied.

"That's good! Hold on, I'll get the nurse, okay?" Lux said, but she stood up and left the room without waiting for Garen's answer. Soon, Lux was dragging someone into the room. To Garen's surprise, it was Akali.

"Whoaarrggggggg..." Garen said as he suddenly started backing away from Akali. He knew she might have something against him for killing her once in the Fields of Justice.

"Now, now. It's best if you stopped moving. You're not fully recovered yet," Akali said as she walked over to Garen's bedside and checked the machines. Lux just watched with this cat like grin on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Garen asked, suddenly full of energy. He knew he was at the mercy of the Fist of Shadow, but seeing her in that nurse outfit made Garen think she was harmless.

"Why, I've been assigned as your nurse, of course."

"I thought you only volunteered for that one time when there was some widespread outbreak or something?"

"They asked me to take care of you. A champion for a champion, as they said."

Garen sighed. He knew it was pointless to ask more questions pertaining to why Akali was there, but he did ask one more thing, "When will I be able to get out?"

"Honestly, with how you're acting up right now, I'd release you as soon as you fill out the forms."

"Alright, hand over the forms," Garen said.

"Not going to ask nicely to the woman that took care of you the past few days?"

"Please?"

"Good boy," Akali left the room and returned with the release papers and a pen. Garen signed them and handed them back to Akali, who disconnected everything that Garen was hooked onto and smiled, "The Sinister Blade is being held in a prison cell at the moment. That's your first stop, is it not?"

"How'd you know?" Garen asked.

"It's easy to see from your face."

"Well, yes, you're right."

"Good luck~." Akali waved to Garen and Lux before exiting the room.

Lux handed Garen his clothes and left the room so he can change, and while he removed the gown, he saw a big stitched gash across his body. It must be from the axe blow he received from Darius. He sighed, then wore his shirt and pants, then buckled his belt, and walked out of the room. When he came out, Lux held Garen's arm and helped him walk. Together, they walked through the streets of Demacia and Garen led Lux to the dungeons, where he was greeted by the guards and congratulated him on his recovery. He asked Lux to leave him be, and asked the guards to lead him to Katarina's cell. The guards hesitated a bit, but when Garen pushed his authority on them, they gave way and led him to the floor that Katarina was on. He asked that the guards left them alone, and he slowly walked over to Katarina's cell. She stood up and walked to the grills as Garen approached, and reached out to hold his face.

"You jerk... You had me worried..." Katarina said, then pulled Garen's face close to the grills so she could kiss his lips. After a while, she parted from the kiss.

"You shouldn't be here," Garen said, holding Katarina's hand.

"I have been caught. I allowed myself to be caught... I didn't think you'd survive," Katarina admitted.

Garen stared into Katarina's eyes for a moment, before peering inside the cell, "Have they been treating you well?"

"As much as they'd treat any other prisoner, I guess."

"Good. I'll get you out of here, I promise."

"Don't bother... You'll just get into trouble," Katarina said, trying to persuade Garen to leave her be. It was because of her that he got into problems anyway.

"No, no... Don't say that. I'm sure I can pull a few strings," Garen said, rubbing Katarina's hand.

"Why...? After all I've put you through, why are you still being nice to me?"

"Because I love you," Garen said. Katarina stared into his eyes and put his hand onto her cheek.

"I love you too," Katarina said.

"I'll get you out, okay?" Garen said smoothly, kissing Katarina's lips repeatedly as if preventing her from talking back.

After their little encounter, Garen went back upstairs and walked with Lux across the streets of Demacia, and went straight to the palace. People along the way greeted Garen and Lux, and congratulated Garen for his recovery. Garen would smile and wave before he proceeded onwards, and when they got to the palace. Upon entry, Jarvan IV and Shyvana were just about to head towards the door.

"Ah. Garen, Luxanna," Jarvan said as he saw the two.

"Greetings, Prince, Shyvana," Garen responded.

"Are you feeling well enough to be on your feet, commander?"

"Well enough to demand the release of the Sinister Blade from prison," Garen stated.

"And what in blazes made you come to this?" Jarvan asked.

"How did you feel when you were captured by Noxian forces? You didn't belong in their cells, and neither does she," Garen bargained.

"And what do you expect me to do, hand her over to Noxus?"

"No, hand her over to me."

"Garen, this is the very issue that got you exiled in the first place. Are you willing to risk your citizenship again?"

"What if Shyvana was captured? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get her out?"

"That's a different story, Garen," Jarvan said.

"No it isn't, Jarvan. I love Katarina as much as you love Shyvana," Garen countered. Jarvan was speechless, then begrudgingly nodded. Shyvana kept a straight face.

"Fine. She is free and will be under your custody, but once things go wrong, Garen, mark my words, I will put her back in that cell myself."

"Works for me, Prince," Garen said, "When would I be able to take her?"

"As soon as I sign the papers. Wait here," Jarvan said before ordering a guard to grab him parchment and a pen. Soon, Jarvan signed the papers as he said he would, then handed them to Garen, "Here."

"Thank you," Garen said, then turned around and walked with Lux back to the dungeons. Garen presented the papers to the warden of the dungeon and the warden gave it a skeptical glance over before nodding and presenting Garen with the key to Katarina's cell. Garen walked slowly down the stairs until he reached Katarina's cell, then unlocked the door. He beckoned to her and she took his hand, and together they walked out of the prison and back to Garen's home. Lux prepared the shower for Katarina, and soon, she was under the water, washing her long, red hair until she heard someone walk into the bathroom.

"Garen, I know you freed me and all but that doesn't give you an excuse to sneak into the bathroom while I'm in it!" Katarina yelled.

"It's Lux..." Lux said.

"Oh... What are you doing in here?"

"Brother requested that you stay in his room."

"Is that something you really have to barge into the bathroom for?"

"If you leave him or hurt him physically or emotionally, I will hunt you down," Lux threatened. She loved her brother very much.

"..." Katarina was speechless, then finished rinsing herself and wrapped a towel around herself. When she pulled the shower curtains to the side, Lux was standing there, her arms crossed in front of her chest and was glaring at Katarina.

"You will stay with my brother, is that understood?"

"Yes, mom," Katarina said as she rolled her eyes. What possibly could this girl do? All of a sudden, a bright light appeared by Katarina's shoulder and gave her a sunburn.

"Good."

"You crazy little..." Katarina muttered as Lux left the bathroom. Katarina went to Garen's room and found some of Lux's spare clothes waiting for her on Garen's bed. There was just one problem though. Garen was in the room.

"Oh, hello," Garen said as he turned on his chair to look at Katarina.

"Would you mind getting out for a bit? I need to change."

"You can change right there, I won't look," Garen said as he turned back to what he was doing. He was applying some sort of protective oil on his sword so it wouldn't rust.

"Ugh..." Katarina sighed and cautiously started putting on clothes, glaring into the back of Garen's head to check if he was going to peek. But when she was finished, she decided to go over to Garen and wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned her chin on his shoulder gently.

"You done changing?" Garen asked.

"Mhm," Katarina responded. Garen turned around in his rotating chair and pulled Katarina onto his lap. She sat down facing Garen, her legs on both sides of Garen's legs.

"You're rooming with me," Garen said.

"I heard," Katarina replied.

"You okay with sharing one bed?"

Katarina poked Garen's forehead, "We've slept beside each other twice. I think we're going to be fine. Unless, you give me a reason not to trust you," Katarina said.

"Of course not. I would never do anything terrible to you," Garen said as he kissed Katarina's cheek.

"You missed," Katarina said, before kissing Garen's lips.

"Aww... How sweet!" Lux exclaimed from Garen's door.

"Luxanna Crownguard! What are you doing there?" Garen yelled, flustered.

"Oh, don't worry about me! Please, continue!" Lux said, watching the two.

Garen and Katarina looked at each other for a while before they laughed and hugged each other tightly. Today was a start of a new life for the both of them, especially since Jarvan pretty much signed their permit to have a relationship. However, Katarina knew she wouldn't be able to go back to Noxus, and she'll still be a prisoner in the Demacian's eyes outside of Garen's home. As Garen held Katarina's hips, Katarina wrapped her arms around Garen's neck in response. Lux giggled like a maniac as she watched the two, then Garen turned to Lux.

"Shut the door, Luxanna," Garen said with a smile. Lux winked at Garen before closing the door behind her. At that, Katarina sighed and looked back at Garen.

"You must feel very happy right now," Katarina said.

"Oh yeah. Very happy," Garen repeated before he took Katarina and laid her down on his bed. Katarina rolled so she could be on top of Garen then accidentally pressed down on his chest. "Oww..." Garen whispered.

"Oh, sorry," Katarina said apologetically, before giving Garen's forehead a kiss. She then lay down beside Garen and propped her head up with her elbow, "So, what now?"

"Now, we live under one roof. Now, we eat together at one table. Now, we live like a couple," Garen said.

"Isn't it a bit too fast for that?" Katarina asked.

"We're eventually going to live like this, we might as well practice," Garen mentioned.

"Don't forget, we're still on a hunt for those artifacts. We can't just leave that lead we caught," Katarina pointed out.

"We'll worry about that when we get there..." Garen turned his head to look at Katarina.

"...Alright, fine. Let's have it your way this time."

An hour later, Lux was very curious as to what Garen and Katarina were doing in their room. They were awfully quiet, and it was fishy. Lux carefully opened the door and took a peak inside. She had this silly blush on her face, as if she knew something mature was going on between her brother and his "girlfriend". However, when she peered into the room, Katarina was giving Garen a haircut. Lux opened the door completely and put her hands on her hips.

"Brother! I wanted to do that!" Lux exclaimed.

Katarina turned to look at Lux, "What, give him a haircut?" she asked.

"And shave his beard too!" Lux added.

"Well, I'm almost done cutting his hair, so I guess you're too late."

"What was that?" Lux got really riled up, jealous of the attention that Katarina was giving to Garen. She wanted to give Garen the haircut and the shave, just like their family tradition had always been, but here comes this woman and steals all her joys away from her.

"Are you jealous?" Katarina asked, whisking her long, red hair back.

"Ooh... You're such a meanie! Brother! Why aren't you doing anything about this?" Lux exclaimed.

"He's asleep," Katarina said, grabbing the mirror and angling it to show Lux that Garen was sleeping.

"Let's make a compromise, then! I'll shave his beard after you're done!"

"Hmm... How about... No."

"Aww, come on! Let the sister get some fun too!"

"Fine, fine. Just don't make too much noise."

"Thank you!"

Garen, unaware of the activities going on about him, remained asleep. Katarina managed to get his hair back to the normal way, and Lux managed to cleanly shave Garen's growing beard. The two women, happy of their work, left Garen to sleep soundly on his chair and went out to eat a snack.


	10. Chapter 10

Garen woke up to the sound of laughter and the scent of what smelled like vegetable soup. He saw that the sun was setting over the Demacian beach, and he could hear the sounds of cooking utensils clanking in the kitchen. With a quick glance, Garen noticed a mirror on his table, and he peered into the mirror for a bit. He had his traditional old look, and he angled his head from side to side to see if anything had been missed. Of course, the only one that could do his haircut the way he liked it was Lux, but then he remembered that Katarina was living in their home as well. He turned to look at the bed, and saw an empty bed. Garen stood up and walked out of his room, wandering over to Lux's room. There was no one there. He knocked on the bathroom and opened it, but no one was there. Finally, he went to the kitchen and there he found who he was looking for... and a few others. In the kitchen stood Lux, who was cooking, and Katarina, chopping vegetables for Lux. He then saw Jarvan and Shyvana who sat by the table, and they looked like they were having a conversation before Garen appeared.

"Hello, brother," Lux said before stirring the contents of the pot in front of her.

"What's everyone doing here?" Garen inquired, surprised by the sudden visit. He didn't expect Jarvan to bring Shyvana along, and he didn't expect Shyvana to appear in her Ironscale outfit.

"We came to visit, old friend! Is it bad to have a day off every now and then?" Jarvan said, who stood up and extended his hand for a handshake. Garen took Jarvan's hand and shook it, then peered over to Shyvana.

"What are you looking at?" Shyvana questioned.

"N-Nothing..." Garen said.

"Nonsense. You wouldn't look over one's shoulder if you weren't looking at something. Answer the question," Shyvana demanded.

"This is the first time you've visited my home, Shyvana... I'm just surprised," Garen said, scratching his cheek.

"An honorable answer. Do not worry, Garen. I will not harm you," Shyvana said with a faint smile, and Jarvan walked over and gave Shyvana's shoulder a pat.

"This is just how Shyvana is, Garen. I know you haven't had much contact with her, but she's a feisty one," Jarvan explained.

"I noticed..." Garen replied.

"Ugh... How many vegetables do you need?" Katarina asked Lux.

"I had enough for a while now. You just kept chopping the vegetables so I keep taking them," Lux replied casually.

"What? You mean I've been wasting my time chopping these damned vegetables?" Katarina responded.

"It's not my fault you didn't ask when to stop," Lux replied, then tasted the vegetable soup. As she deemed the soup good enough, she started serving bowls of soup to everyone, "Dinner's ready~!"

All five positioned themselves around the table, Jarvan and Shyvana sat beside each other while Katarina, Garen, and Lux sat beside each other. The table was not too big, but it accomodated six people. After a little moment of silence, they all started to eat, and had conversations about their days. Garen kept quiet for the most part, considering he did nothing but sleep the entire day. Jarvan mentioned his date with Shyvana around Demacia for the 17th time, but it seemed that every single time, Jarvan would stub his toe in a corner or something and he'd limp the rest of the day. Shyvana made comments that she enjoyed, although it took a bit of thinking to understand her cryptic way of speaking. Katarina and Lux seem to be competing over household chores, and they even had a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who would wash the dishes. Garen volunteered to wash them, so the two immediately competed for who would wash the dishes with him. Katarina won, therefore she was going to wash the dishes with Garen, however she didn't know how to wash dishes, and Garen promised to teach her. After dinner, Garen collected the bowls and spoons then went over to the sink. Katarina gave it a shot but nearly broke a bowl.

"It goes like this," Garen said before standing behind Katarina, holding her hands and directing them in a circular fashion while holding the bowl firmly with the other hand. Garen was so into his moment with Katarina and Katarina was too engrossed in learning how to wash the dishes that they failed to notice Lux's jealous glare and Shyvana and Jarvan's curious stares. The kitchen was silent except for the sounds Garen and Katarina made, and it took Garen a few minutes to notice it. He turned around, and Jarvan and Shyvana immediately struck up a conversation while Lux pretended to try and cross her eyes. Garen blinked repeatedly in confusion, but he returned to teaching Katarina how to clean the dishes.

After several minutes, Katarina and Garen finished cleaning the dishes and were drying their hands when suddenly, blue rings surrounded Garen.

"Ah, yes. There was actually a purpose for me coming here..." Jarvan recalled, "You were assigned to have a 3v3 match with the Frost Archer and the Barbarian King."

"Ashe and Tryndamere?" Garen asked, suddenly excited.

"Yes... You seem happy. Did something happen between you three?" Jarvan asked.

"Oh, no! Nothing at all!" Garen said before getting ready.

Garen was preparing in his room when he heard a knock at the door...

"Come in!" Garen said as he started strapping his armor on. Katarina entered the room and closed the door behind her, then started helping Garen put on his armor.

"I heard Darius was going to be in this match. You have to be careful," Katarina warned him.

"Don't worry, I've fought him before," Garen replied.

"Just... don't get banged up too badly," Katarina said as they finished preparing Garen's armor.

"I won't, I promise."

"Come back in one piece, you hear me?"

"I will," Garen said before leaning forward to kiss Katarina's lips. Katarina pushed forward to deepen their kiss, but then Garen was teleported before they could go any further.

Garen appeared at the base and was greeted by a massive pat at the back and a hug from the front at the same time. Garen coughed a bit as the air was blown out of him from the converging greetings he received from his teammates, but he at least hugged back.

"It's been a while!" Ashe said as she pulled away and looked at Garen.

"Yes, it has!" Garen replied, before clasping Tryndamere's shoulder, "I missed you guys!"

"Good! I thought you only missed my wife," Tryndamere joked, while Garen clasped his shoulder in return.

"Why wouldn't I miss the one who taught me how to spin2win?" Garen said with a smile.

The three bought their starting items and headed out to their lanes, Garen taking bottom lane, Tryndamere taking top, and Ashe taking middle. Garen spent a long while sitting in the bushes waiting for his enemy to appear, until he got impatient and spun out of the bush to kill some minions and earn some gold. It was later revealed that Darius has taken middle lane and was managing to push Ashe back to her turret. Garen was fighting against Master Yi, and Tryndamere was fighting against Talon. Darius pulled Ashe toward him with his axe and spun around, dealing damage to her, but when she tried to run, Darius smacked her with the flat of his axe and knocked Ashe unconscious. Tryndamere came rushing in and spun to victory, pushing Darius to his turret, but Talon came by and killed Tryndamere with a flurry of blades. Suddenly, Master Yi appeared at the middle lane, urging Darius and Talon to run.

"What are we running from again?" Talon asked Master Yi.

"Just run! Run, run, run!" Yi replied frantically.

A figure slowly started catching up to the three, and he ran with such speed that it was blinding.

"Pah! It's Garen. Our turrets will take care of him," Darius said. However, once Garen was within turret range, the turret dealt little to no damage to Garen.

"Come back here!" Garen yelled.

"Hell naw," Master Yi replied.

Darius, feeling almighty, stepped up to Garen and swung his axe down at Garen's shoulder, attempting to cut straight through Garen's body. However, his axe was stopped like a stick hitting a stone. Garen whacked Darius's head and he fell to the ground violently, and stood back up, and the two started having a massive fight in middle lane. Darius kept hitting Garen but Garen kept shaking it off like a boss, while Garen spun and spun until Darius replied with a spin of his own. Their blades clashed against each other and Garen's sword started to chip, but so did Darius's axe. Darius kicked Garen and followed up with a chop, but Garen dodged at the last second, feeling the wind from Darius's axe blow across his hair. Garen punched Darius's jaw and swung his sword horizontally, but Darius's stagger made him unintentionally avoid the swing. Finally, Garen shoved his sword into the dazed Darius's stomach and kicked it further in, and Darius died. Talon and Yi retreated when they saw Ashe and Tryndamere appear at the scene.

"How the hell did you manage to do that?" Tryndamere asked, referring to Garen's ability to just shrug off attacks.

"Stacked thornmail," Garen replied.

It finally came to the climax of the match when the three were locked in ferocious combat, and when Ashe was struck down by Darius, Garen and Tryndamere spun around to attack him, however Darius flashed over to Ashe's body and brought his axe down on her lying body. Garen and Tryndamere were enraged and they went into what seemed to be an endless rage, Tryndamere charging straight for Darius, and the two exchanged heavy blows to each other until Garen stole Tryndamere's kill with Demacian Justice. Tryndamere ran to Ashe's body and held her close.

"Ashe!" Tryndamere spoke.

"Don't worry about me, Tryn... This is a field of justice... I will revive..."

"I know... but that doesn't mean your injuries don't hurt!" Tryndamere exclaimed.

"DEMACIA!" Garen yelled as he charged straight into Master Yi and Talon, keeping them busy and off of Tryndamere's and Ashe's area.

"Don't worry, Tryn... I won't make it back, but their nexus is exposed... Finish it for me..." Ashe said before she went limp.

Garen, having three thornmails stacked against each other, tore down the minions within his perimeter and started fighting with Darius once he arrived. Darius knew he couldn't touch Garen with his thornmail, so he decided to taunt him instead.

"Katarina will return to us," Darius said as he rushed in to attack Garen.

"Never!" Garen shouted as he shoved Darius away and slashed at his leg, but Darius was already in the air, about to land his ultimate move on Garen. Garen took the hit like a man and fell down to his knees, but Garen brought down a sword straight to Darius's shoulder, disabling his superior hand and making him unable to wield his axe. Garen and Darius engaged in a fist fight, Darius aiming mainly for Garen's chin while Garen aimed for Darius's stomach. They were locked in a deadly battle until the two were ready to unleash their ultimate moves once more.

"Noxus!" Darius shouted as he jumped into the air and held his axe with two hands above his head.

"Demacia!" Garen said as he pointed to Darius and a sword appeared above his head.

The two hit each other at the same time, and they killed each other simultaneously. Tryndamere had some trouble shrugging off attacks, but with his perseverence and endless rage, he managed to bring down the enemy's nexus and score a victory. Darius and Talon immediately teleported back to Noxus, and Yi shook hands with Tryndamere before teleporting back to Ionia. When Tryndamere was looking at the mess he made, he noticed something on the ground that didn't look in place. He picked it up, and it showed the southern piece of Valoran etched into the small stone. It looked like it was part of something, but only time would tell if Tryndamere would ever find the other pieces.


	11. Chapter 11

Garen was hiking with two hundred Dauntless Vanguards up the Serpentine River early morning however the sun bore down on the heavily armored men. Their swords gleamed in the sunlight, and the banner of Demacia hung passively as no wind was blowing. Everything was calm, even the flow of water along the river. The animals made soft sounds, nothing too annoying, and would scamper off the moment the vanguards closed into their space. The grass was somewhat greener in this area than in the Demacian fields. Some of the vanguards hiking hasn't even step foot outside of Demacia's borders, so it was quite an adventure for them to traverse so far from home. It was very familiar to League champions such as Garen, since the Summoner's Rift lies on both sides of the river. Luckily for them, there was not a match going on at the moment, and the Serpentine River was free from any battling champions. Seeing that it was about time the vanguard regiment have wandered along the river for too long, Garen led them towards the North, to Freljord. A few hours of trekking later, the sun was at it's peak at the sky. There were no clouds present, therefore there were no shadows that offered cool patches for the men to find shelter from the noon heat. Knowing it would be taxing for his men, Garen called for the halt of the hike and ordered his men to set up camp until mid-afternoon, when the sun's heat is bearable.

Jarvan IV received a letter from Queen Ashe requesting Demacia's help a few weeks after the landslide of a battle with Garen, Tryndamere, and herself. Apparently, a huge creature with multiple claws appeared along with an army of unknown creatures and invaded Freljord. It seems that Queen Ashe's forces were holding out, but she treated it as a siege, and her relative, Sejuani, refused to help despite her people being affected by the Void invasion. Queen Ashe did not trust Grand General Swain enough to send him a letter requesting help, and the only option left, albeit some distrust between their people, was Demacia. Of course, Jarvan approved the release of Garen and two hundred Dauntless Vanguards to set out to Freljord immediately, and sent a confirmation letter to Queen Ashe of their arrival. Now, Jarvan only hopes that they arrive on time.

Garen sat down on the ground and opened his flask of water, but found it empty. Garen tilted his flask till the opening pointed straight to the ground and shook it a little, and not even one drop came out of his flask. Garen sighed, but then a flask was offered his way. He looked up, and saw the smiling face of Katarina. She insisted on coming along with Garen in his little mission after she saw that there was little that she could do if she stayed in Demacia. Lux opted to stay and help in around in the Academy. Looking at Katarina, her red hair gleamed in the sunlight and her skin was shiny from perspiration, and her green eyes seemed to be such a relaxing sight to Garen. It helped put him at ease, and just a glance at Katarina's face was the equivalent of a nice, cool breeze on this hot day.

"Thanks," Garen said as he took Katarina's flask and took a few gulps of water.

Katarina sat down beside Garen and wiped the sweat off of her brow, and looked up at the sky, "How the hell are you wearing all that and not pass out?" she asked.

"Actually, all of these armor and clothes block out the sunlight, which ultimately causes the heat. Unlike your outfit, which leaves the arms and stomach exposed, mine keeps it enclosed," Garen explained.

"Shouldn't the heat get stuck within your outfit eventually, though?"

"Well, you get used to it if it's a gradual change. If I took off my armor now, you'd feel a wave of hot air attacking you because it's all crumped in my armor," Garen said.

"Ew. That sounds disgusting," Katarina said as she sighed, "It just had to be so freaking hot out today."

"Don't worry. Where we're going, you'd wish you were in a hot place," Garen said with a laugh.

Eventually, a group of vanguards gave Garen some materials to make a tent, since the brought extras in case some of the tents broke. Garen thanked them and started creating the tent, and within minutes, he was done. Katarina crawled into the tent immediately and gave out a loud sigh, as if relieved of some heavy burden. She lay on her stomach and peered out of the tent, looking at the other vanguards as they hunkered down in their tents and took off their armors. She wasn't all too familiar with seeing men take breaks, for back in Noxus, taking breaks was a sign of weakness. Garen sat down inside the tent and started removing his shoulder armor. Katarina turned around and saw Garen, then helped him with removing the armor. Katarina organized his armor neatly to the side of the tent and sat down beside Garen. She leaned her head on Garen's shoulder, then Garen held Katarina's hand. Katarina interlocked their fingers then gave Garen's cheek a soft kiss, then leaned her head back on his shoulder.

Afternoon came along, and the sun's heat wasn't too bad. Garen woke Katarina from the small nap that she took, and ordered the men to pack up and be prepared to move out. Several minutes later, the Dauntless Vanguard regiment was ready to go. Garen and Katarina stood at the front of the regiment, and they led the hike once more. The regiment moved at a steady pace towards Freljord, and soon, they encountered snow. The white flakes were very familiar to Garen as they fell, and the cold breeze felt much like home to him. Katarina tugged at Garen's arm, and when he looked over, she was shivering. Garen smirked then took his cape off, and gave it to Katarina. She wrapped it around herself, then smiled at Garen. After returning the smile, Garen returned to looking forward and leading the hike. Soon, Garen was leading his men up a hill that borders Freljord. They could hear the growls and gnarling sounds along with the battlecries and weapon sounds of the siege going on in Freljord.

Tryndamere and Ashe were rallying their warriors against the onslaught that were beating down on their defenses. Ashe commanded the archers while Tryndamere commanded the melee combatants. Every two hours, Tryndamere would rotate a batch of warriors in order to hold off longer. Meanwhile, inside the defenses, those who couldn't fight were either making more arrows or maintaining weapons, or treating injuries, or feeding the hungry. Tryndamere cleaved through a monster of the void when suddenly, he saw the flag of Demacia on the hill that flanked the void creatures.

"Ashe! Ashe! Your son is here!" cried Tryndamere. His cry turned the heads of many towards the flag of Demacia, and they wondered if Ashe adopted a son from Demacia. Ashe looked into the distance and saw the Demacian flag rising from the hill. Soon after, she saw Garen and Katarina, followed by a line of warriors. She could only assume there were more waiting on the back of the hill.

"Men, prepare yourselves!" Garen yelled as he held his sword tightly in his hands. The vanguards all unsheathed their weapons and stood at the top of the hill. Garen raised his sword and it gleamed in the setting sun's light, and he pointed it forward before starting to run down the hill. Katarina followed him and soon, a swarm of vanguards started storming down the hill. The men all let out their battlecries as the adrenaline in their bodies rushed. Right before crashing into the void creatures, all of them yelled, "Demacia!" and the Dauntless Vanguard penetrated the unruly ranks of the void monsters. Garen spun into action and eliminated multiple grunts of the void army, and Katarina spun as well, throwing daggers all around her and clearing out a circle around her.

The battle raged on for a couple of hours, Demacians showing their military power by defeating many of the void army, but they have received heavy losses as well. Tryndamere took a group of the bravest men and sallied out of their defenses to squeeze the void army between them and the Demacians. Ashe sent arrows into the middle of the void army volley after volley, whittling them down for the two groups that engaged them in melee combat. When it seemed like they were winning, and the void army started retreating, Cho'Gath made his appearance. The large creature, ever so frightful, marched toward the Freljordian defenses, and Garen saw it fit that the Dauntless Vanguard must keep the beast busy until the Freljordians were prepared to take on it. Garen and Katarina led the charge towards Cho'Gath, and the Dauntless Vanguard followed after them. With weapons raised, they charged into the beast, but the middle ranks of the vanguards were launched into the air as a myriad of spikes suddenly erupted from the ground and threw them into the air, if not pierced their body. However as their name said, the Dauntless Vanguard forged onwards, and started engaging Cho'Gath. The Terror of the Void swung it's claws in a sweep-like motion, disabling most of the Dauntless Vanguards. However, Garen sliced through one of it's claws and Katarina dealt damage through an invisible manner, disappearing and reappearing behind the beast. Garen spun around to deal plenty of damage to Cho'Gath, and the Dauntless Vanguard all attacked the Terror of the Void simultaneously.

Garen charged in for a decisive strike, Katarina behind him, but there was a sudden force that buried itself into Garen's side and threw him off his feet. All Katarina felt was the warm splash of Garen's blood onto her face as she stood there, shocked at what she had noticed. Cho'Gath had his full attention at Katarina now that Garen was out of the picture, and he stomped on groups of vanguards to get to Katarina. As Cho'Gath towered over the shaking Katarina, she started spinning, throwing daggers at Cho'Gath. The Terror of the Void staggered due to the damage that Katarina inflicted upon him, and barreled through mutiple men as he retreated back to the portal from where he came. Surprised at the sudden retreat, Katarina turns to the opposite direction of the portal and saw the Noxian flag flying in the icy winds of Freljord. Noxus somehow sent men to Freljord, and it doesn't look peaceful. However, due to the remaining number of void creatures in the battlefield, the Noxians had something to keep them busy while the Dauntless Vanguard rallied itself. In the midst of the Demacians regrouping, Katarina found Garen beside a number of dead bodies, and she knelt down beside him.

"Garen?" Katarina asked while shaking his shoulder.

"Yeah?" Garen replied, however he did not move.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Garen said as he stood up.

"We have more company," Katarina reported, pointing to the Noxian forces who made their appearance under an icy pass.

"Who's leading them?" Garen asked.

Katarina squinted to get a better look at who was at the head of the Noxian forces, and saw Darius, "An old rival."

"Damn..." Garen said, but it seemed that the Noxian forces were only there to spectate, for the moment they saw Demacian flags wavering in the wind, they started to head back.

Katarina sighed as she saw the Noxian forces leaving, then was approached by Tryndamere and his men, "Are you two alright?" he asked.

"We're fine," Katarina responded, however she put Garen's arm over her shoulders.

"What's the matter, Garen?" Tryndamere asked.

"It's just a scratch, don't worry," Garen said.

"I wouldn't worry, oh no, but Ashe would. I mean, look at that pool of blood forming by your feet. It's more than a scratch, alright."

"It doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it should," Garen reassured, then smiled at Tryndamere.

"Eh... Just patch it up before Ashe sees it," Tryndamere recommended before he raised his sword and yelled, "Victory!"

The Freljordian tribesmen all cheered, and the Dauntless Vanguard echoed their celebration. Out of the two hundred that marched from Demacia, only one hundred and twenty remained. Garen walked with Katarina towards the city of Freljord, and Ashe quickly led them to Garen's old cave. Ashe then brought food for Garen and Katarina before leaving them alone in the cave. Garen was fed by Katarina, but he had to ask her nicely for it, and used his injury as an excuse. Katarina soon finished eating as well, then started treating Garen's wound. Most of it was already healed due to Garen's regenerative ability, and all Katarina had to do was to put some bandage around it. She was finished in a few minutes, and she leaned her head on Garen's shoulder. Garen smiled and caressed Katarina's cheek before giving her a gentle kiss.

"I see you like kissing me," Katarina commented.

"Of course," Garen said before kissing Katarina again.

"Don't get too carried away now..." Katarina said after she broke off from the kiss.

"I'm sorry," Garen apologized.

"It's okay. I understand."

"We go back to Demacia tomorrow."

"Leaving so soon?" Ashe asked as she suddenly appeared in Garen's cave.

"We have to. Jarvan might think it's a bit fishy if I stayed here for a while," Garen said.

"Ah, that's a shame. Well, do come by more often! We miss you a lot!" Ashe said, patting Garen's head.

"Of course, but we're leaving tomorrow, not now," Garen said with a smile.

"I know, I know," Ashe said before leaving the two alone again. She passed Tryndamere as he walked into Garen's cave, carrying the artifact he found in the Fields of Justice.

"Hey. You know what this is?" Tryndamere asked Garen as he showed the artifact.

"It looks like part of the artifact we found, Garen," Katarina said.

"Is this why those creatures attacked this place?" Tryndamere asked.

"I would assume so. We had an encounter with Cho'Gath in the Ironspike Mountains when I found an artifact similar to this one," Katarina explained.

"But, shouldn't the Institute of War control the magic that opens portals to the void?" Garen asked.

"We can only assume at this point that the artifacts have the power to open portals wherever the handler chooses, and that's why Cho'Gath is after it. He plans to destroy Runeterra." Katarina said.

"Well, whatever this thing does, we cannot keep it here. It is far too dangerous for our people if another attack comes along," Tryndamere said.

Garen took the artifact and held it firmly in his hands, "Demacia will keep it for you. We have ample men to defend against a void raid," he reassured.

"And if Noxus attacks?" Katarina asked.

"So be it," Garen said, knowing it would be the fall of Demacia should the attack of the void happen alongside a Noxian invasion.

"Well, now that that is settled, I'm going to get some rest. You two should, too. You have a big day tomorrow," Tryndamere said before leaving.

Garen and Katarina both stared at the artifact. They couldn't believe something so small could cause such dramatic effects. 


	12. Chapter 12

As the flag of Demacia fluttered in the air, the Dauntless Vanguard said their goodbyes to the people of Freljord. The joint effort they exerted into defeating the void army repaired the trust issues between the population of Demacia and Freljord, and they now clasp each other's hands in camaraderie. It was as if the distrust they suffered only lasted for a fleeting moment, and despite the vanguards' liking to Freljord, many just wanted to go home. Garen and Katarina emerged from the cave systems early morning, and soon, left Freljord on a hike back to Demacia. The 120 men marched, some were somber, while some were excited. Many friends were lost in the battle, but new ones were formed out of it as well. A group of volunteers from both the Vanguards and the Freljordians offered to bury the fallen right there, in the battlefield, so that they will never forget what had happened on that fateful day. With fewer men, the regiment of vanguards moved faster. In two hours, they have left the icy patches of the North, and towards the green fields of the West. The skies were cloudy and windy, signs that there will be rain later on. Due to the clouds blocking the sun, Garen had no way of telling what time of day it was, but the vanguards seemed to be energized enough to continue walking, so he passed up the opportunity to take a break and continued the trek back home.

Katarina was mostly silent throughout the journey, mainly because she had nothing to talk about, and Garen wasn't the kind to strike up a conversation, especially having suffered heavy losses with his men. He knew more men died at the defense of Demacia, but losing 40% of his men in just one engagement was considered a failure, especially since it was the Dauntless Vanguards, men trained to be the first line of defense against any threat. They were also the first to fight, but that didn't mean they were fodder. In competitions with the Elite Guard, the Dauntless Vanguard have outmatched the Elite Guard in multifarious ways. Garen sighed, it was only a matter of time before they saw Demacia from on top of a hill. Soon, rain drops started falling and the wind picked up, making the Demacian flags that the vanguard regiment carried flutter in the air. There was a clanking noise as droplets hit armor, but it soon became more than rain. It became a deluge. However, Garen continued the walk, not letting weather stop his men from coming home. The deluge made the ground turn into slippery mud, and Garen fell on his chest. A few vanguards helped him up then continued walking.

"You okay?" Katarina asked.

"I'm fine," Garen replied and continued to walk.

Garen labored in breathing and Katarina noticed a hint of red in the water trail that Garen left behind. She paced up to him and pressed against his chest, to which Garen winced. Katarina suspected that his wound from Darius had opened up, and Garen's recuperative abilities failed to regenerate it in time for the next battle he had. The fall probably opened his wound even more, but Katarina was sure that the blood would at least coagulate and stop the bleeding, as long as Garen doesn't fall again. Katarina then sneezed, and she blinked a few times as her eyes got a bit teary. Was she catching a cold? It didn't matter to her, and she kept on walking by Garen's side, and she held his hand and crisscrossed their fingers. After a while, the climb up the small hill at Demacia's doorstep began, and the men became more excited. Home was just a few more minutes away. Something struck the Demacians as not quite right, considering there was smoke coming in from the distance. Garen ran up ahead and bumped into a Demacian scout.

"What's going on?" Garen asked the scout.

"There were two explosions at the palace as well as a few explosions in the residential area and we believe the culprit may still be within Demacia's borders," the scout answered.

"Explosions?"

"Yes. Someone managed to infiltrate our city and plant bombs."

After their exchange, Garen let the scout go, and told the men of the news. Immediately, the morale of the men lowered, and they shook in place. Who could possibly manage to do an act such as this? It was a cowardly act of terrorism, and Garen was not about to let the people within the palace die. Not on his watch. Immediately, the Dauntless Vanguard regiment rushed to Demacia, all of them wanting to go home to check on their families. This sudden attack rattled the heart of Demacia, and now it tried its citizen's steadiness. Upon reaching the gates of Demacia, Garen ordered all of his men to go home and check on their families. The Dauntless Vanguard disbanded and went to their respective homes, and Garen rushed to the palace. In his hurried state, he did not notice he was holding onto Katarina's wrist, and he was deaf to her complains about his grasp being too hard. It wasn't until Katarina pointed a knife to Garen's neck did he finally hear her.

"Let go!" Katarina said, as she pulled her wrist away. Garen let go and stared at Katarina for a while, "What the hell's wrong with you?" Katarina asked.

"I'm sorry... I must-"

"I know what you must do, but when I tell you to let go, you let go! Okay?" Katarina yelled, rubbing her wrist gently.

"...Okay," Garen replied.

"Now, go. I'll follow you," Katarina said before patting Garen's shoulder.

Almost immediately, Garen ran towards the palace, avoiding the citizens who rushed to and fro as they tried to put out the flames in the vicinity. As they arrived at the palace, Garen and Katarina could see that part of it has crumbled and Garen put his sword on his back as he started to go into the crumbling palace. Katarina was hesitant, but she followed after Garen. Sometimes, she didn't know if Garen was brave or just plain stupid. Who, in their right mind, would go into a crumbling building knowing there's a danger it would collapse on top of you? Garen navigated through the hallways and was about to pass through to another hallway when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Garen!" Shyvana yelled.

Garen turned around and looked around for where the voice may have come from, then saw that under a large piece of debris was Jarvan's unconscious body laying on top of Shyvana's body. It seemed that Jarvan protected Shyvana from the falling debris but got knocked unconscious in the process. Garen went over to Shyvana and Jarvan then with a long grunt, he pulled the debris off of Jarvan and Shyvana. He tossed it to the side and grabbed Jarvan as he carried him, then Katarina comes and offers a hand to Shyvana. At first, Shyvana looked insulted by Katarina's gesture, but after a bit of thinking, she took Katarina's hand and stood up. The three started running out of the palace and took the route that Garen and Katarina had followed inside.

"Where's the king?" Garen asked Shyvana.

"He's already been evacuated," Shyvana curtly responded. It was obvious she was quite worried about Jarvan's state even if she didn't show it through her face.

"Alright, we'll get you out of here," Garen said, but as soon as they were almost at the exit, the palace started crumbling again, and debris started falling. After muttering an apology to his childhood friend, Garen grabbed Shyvana and tossed her out the entrance with Jarvan, but Katarina couldn't make it in time so Garen pulled her as well. It seemed like an eternity, just running before the light got shut out, but the two managed to get out safely, with the entrance being blocked by a piece of the ceiling moments after their escape. Shyvana took a moment to comprehend how she allowed herself to be overpowered by a mere human, but she also realized he just saved her life. As Garen turned to look at the palace, he saw that the watchtower was going to fall. He shoved Katarina and made her drag Jarvan away, and one small explosion made the watchtower fall. As it fell, Garen tried pulling Shyvana again, but she didn't let Garen do as he please. She gave Garen a glare, to which Garen tightly hugged her as he braced for impact. Garen counted the seconds to which he thought was going to be his death, but ten seconds have passed and nothing happened. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up. The falling watchtower was obliterated by an anomaly of light, and Shyvana pushed herself off of Garen.

"I'm sorry," Garen apologized to Shyvana.

"You like taking chances, don't you?" Shyvana questioned.

"I was preparing to protect you," Garen explained.

"I know you were," Shyvana retorted. There was an awkward silence between the two in the midst of the chaos going on in Demacia, then thankfully, Lux's voice broke the ice.

"Brother!" Lux yelled as she ran to Garen and Shyvana.

"Luxanna. Thank you for saving us," Garen said.

"Of course! We look after each other."

"Did you see Jarvan and Katarina?" Garen asked, looking around.

"Yeah, they're over there," Lux said as she pointed to what seemed to be a safe haven from the happenings in Demacia.

Garen and the girls walked over to Katarina and Jarvan, and Shyvana knelt down beside Jarvan. After a moment of putting her hand on Jarvan's chest, Shyvana stood up, "He's alright."

"That's good news," Garen said.

"What should we do now, brother?" Lux asked.

"We help out the city as much as we can, then we meet back at our house," Garen instructed.

"Alright, I'll head back to the Academy and help with the repairs," Lux said before running off.

"I'll keep an eye on Jarvan," Shyvana said.

"Katarina, come. We have fires to put out," Garen said before offering his hand to Katarina. She took his hand and stood up, then followed behind Garen as he went around the town, taking buckets of water and pouring them into fires.

Water mages did their best to put out the fires, and the citizens made sure they all got their families safe. Garen and Katarina helped with rescuing trapped citizens as well as putting out flames from homes. It took a few hours to get one sector of Demacia stabilized, and another few for the whole city. Garen was exhausted at the end, and he gave Katarina a quick kiss to encourage her. Katarina was conflicted. All her life, she was taught that Demacia was the enemy, yet seeing them in their time of need made her sympathize with its citizens. He saw that Demacia was no different than Noxus when they were under attack, and the women and children were always evacuated first, the men risked their lives to save other people, and the elderly throw away their age and help out to the best that they could. She kept silent, knowing she had no right to speak a word considering that her people was the one that caused so much trouble and suffering for the people in this city. However, she knew that Demacia has brought much pain and suffering to the people of Noxus through the battles that they have fought, and it was just this vicious, endless cycle of revenge.

After the ordeal of killing fires and saving citizens and helping with the repairs, Lux, Garen, Katarina, Jarvan - who was now awake -, and Shyvana all met at Garen's house. They were all gathered around the table, tired and weary except for Jarvan, and Garen went to take a shower. He was finished in a flash, and he walked back to the table as Lux went to take a shower as well. All of them spent time cleaning themselves and when they were all settled, they had a grim look on their face. No one dared to speak, but someone had to break the silence and address the matter that needed to be addressed. Jarvan, being the leader that he was, spoke up first.

"So, who do you think is behind this terrorist attack?" Jarvan asked.

"Noxus," Lux and Shyvana said in unison. They both shot glares at Katarina, but Garen deflected them with a glare of his own.

"Noxus may be behind all this, but that's no reason to blame Katarina for it. She was with me and the Dauntless Vanguard when this happened," Garen explained.

"The better question, Jarvan, is what do we do now?" Shyvana proposed.

"Tonight, we rest."


	13. Chapter 13

Credits to StormNehalem, GodsEye and Ahoomaha for material in this chapter.

* * *

Garen took a deep breath before leaning backwards and looking at his work. He had been helping a family rebuild their home, and Garen did most of the carrying of lumber and hammering of the nails. It was noon and the sun was blocked by dark clouds. It was as if the skies were lamenting on the lost lives and the destroyed homes of the people of Demacia, and there was a hint that it might start raining soon. Garen gave a quick grunt as he cracked his back, then turned to the family.

"There you go. The framework has been fixed, but I'm afraid you'll have to find someone else for furniture," Garen said.

"Thank you very much, sir," The father of the family said.

Garen gave them all a pleasant goodbye before heading over to his home. It was a stressful day and Garen was off to some well deserved break. He fixed three houses all by himself from dawn to noon, so he felt he was doing good work. The buzz of the rebuilding process filled the streets of Demacia and there were plenty of people helping or fixing their houses, and the hammering of nails were heard all over the residential sectors. Garen arrived at his house and opened the door, then removed his boots by the door and walked in to the living room. There was no one home, so he went into the kitchen and found Katarina in front of the stove, stirring something.

"I'm home," Garen said.

"Welcome home," Katarina replied.

Garen walked up to Katarina and hugged her from behind. Katarina leaned her head back on Garen's shoulder and kissed his jaw. Garen smiled and gave Katarina a quick peck on the lips before letting go of her.

"What are you cooking?" Garen inquired.

"Stew," Katarina responded.

"What kind of stew?"

"Beef stew."

"Ah, my favorite dish."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"I'll make it extra special for you, then," Katarina said as she turned to look at Garen.

"I appreciate it," Garen responded with a smile.

"So, how's the rebuilding coming along?" Katarina asked, returning her attention to the food she was cooking.

"It's going great! I rebuilt three houses ever since I went out to help, so the progress is doing alright," Garen spoke as he looked at the table and the stuff on it. Really, there was none, so Garen decided to set the table for him and Katarina.

"That's good. Heard anything from your friends or your sister?"

"Nah. They must be busy and all. I haven't seen any of them even once ever since we all set out of the house," Garen explained. He placed two plates and a two pairs of spoons and forks beside them.

Katarina really wanted to say, "I wish I could help," but it might provoke anger from the Demacians for a Noxian to help them, especially since the Demacians think that Noxus is behind the attack. She really didn't want to warrant any more attention towards herself, and all she wanted was not getting into any more trouble than she is in already. It was only then when she thought of actually doing something to help, instead of not doing a thing. Katarina turned off the stove then grabbed Garen, and dragged him to the door.

"Hey, where are we going?" Garen asked.

"I'm going to help."

"Alright, but where are we going?"

"To Jarvan."

Several minutes passed and Garen, with Katarina, navigated to the Palace. They found Jarvan signing papers and parchments regarding the rebuilding of Demacia's residential sectors. Jarvan sighed and wiped his forehead of sweat, with the heat of the day making the Palace like an oven. Shyvana was at Jarvan's side, as usual, watching over him as he signed the papers and parchments that allowed engineers and carpenters to take money from the Royal treasury. Being a prince sure was hard. He saw the shadow of two people and he grumbled mentally, as he thought more documents were waiting to be signed.

"On with it," Jarvan said.

"Oh, don't be like that, Jarvan," Katarina said with a slight purr in her voice.

"What...?" Jarvan looked up and saw Katarina and Garen, "Oh, it's you two," he said, then put down the writing utensil he was using, "So, what news?"

"I've repaired a few houses in the residential district, and it seems like the recovery is doing well," Garen reported.

"I see, that's good. Well, I've issued a lockdown of the place, so there won't be anyone coming in or out while we rebuild."

"About that..." Katarina began, "I was hoping to ask your permission to scout around the area."

"Why?" Jarvan asked.

"The culprit(s) may still be around Demacia," Katarina suggested.

"Why would a Noxian help the Demacians?" Shyvana questioned.

"Well, it really is quite simple..." Garen started, but Katarina shushed him.

"What is quite simple?" Jarvan asked.

"I just want to help, okay?" Katarina said with a sigh.

"I don't see a problem with that, but let me know before you leave," Jarvan said, then stood up and stretched.

Katarina and Garen left the palace shortly after their conversation, and they went to the Academy. Garen didn't want to tell Lux that he was leaving on a scouting "mission" around Demacia since he knew she'd force herself to come again, and after she was injured in their little commando mission at Noxus, he didn't want to risk it. Garen figured he'd ask someone to tell Lux for him. Coincidentally, Sona was strolling by the Academy. Garen approached her and she turned to look at him. After explaining to her the situation, and how Garen asked for Sona to tell Jarvan and Lux that they were going out, she just nodded and plucked a few strings, then went on her way. Garen didn't even know if she understood what he said, but he figured she did. Katarina eyed Garen skeptically, but the two proceeded to leave Demacia as they snuck past the guards and off to the nearby forest. The two searched through the grass and the trees, just to see if there were tracks left behind or anything, but they saw something else. They saw a teddy bear dressed in girl's clothes lying on the ground, covered by a few fallen leaves.

"Hey, isn't that Tibbers?" Garen asked Katarina, who was holding the stuffed animal in her hands.

"Yes, but if he's dressed like this... that means we have a child in a bear costume roaming around..." Katarina said, then continued the search. It wasn't long until they found a clearing with two people in it.

"Have you seen my bear Tibbers?" Annie, in her bear costume, asked a big armored man.

"I have no clue," the man answered, then turned around to reveal that it was Darius.

"Oh, that jerk! Stay back, Katarina!" Garen said, before taking his sword and started a charge to Darius, however he was strangled when suddenly Katarina pulled on his scarf.

"I'll handle him," Katarina said, before stepping out of the bushes where they were hiding. Garen had been hurt enough times by Darius for her sake. It was time to repay Garen.

Darius turned to look at Katarina, and they immediately started fighting. Annie was standing nice and close to the battle that it drove Garen insane with worry. He circled around the clearing and grabbed Annie into the bushes. Katarina's movement was too fast to track, but they could obviously see that Darius wasn't having too much of a problem against Katarina. Annie complained about her stuffed animal, and was about to cry, but Garen gave her Tibbers just in time before she cried and now Annie clung onto Garen's scarf like her life depended on it. Garen wrestled with Annie as gently as he could to get her off his scarf, meanwhile Darius and Katarina were having an intense battle. When Garen finally managed to get Annie off of his scarf, Katarina was all alone in the clearing, with a trail of blood on the ground that had been from Darius.

Garen carried Annie on his shoulder then walked into the clearing, "You alright?" He asked.

"You jerk! Here I am, sacrificing my life for all the hard work you've done and all you do is horse around with a little girl? You could've at least watched me!" the angry Katarina yelled.

Annie clapped after Katarina yelled, and Garen held up his hands in front of him, "Now, what was Darius doing here?"

"Like I know! We just found him here, remember?" Katarina said as she placed her daggers by her belt.

"Well, it's possible that your people are responsible for the bombing, considering Darius was here," Garen said.

"Yeah..." Katarina mumbled, then passed out. Garen caught her just before she fell to the ground, and Annie clung onto Garen's head as he bent over to catch Katarina.

Garen brought Katarina back to Demacia, where he was met with a furious duo of Jarvan and Lux.

"I cannot believe you!" Jarvan shouted.

"Where have you been, brother?" demanded Lux at the same time.

"I told you to tell me before you left!" Jarvan yelled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lux looked at Garen, bewildered, "You left? With her!"

"That was all Sona! I told her to tell you guys but she just went strum strum and went on her way!" Garen tried to explain.

"You expect a mute person to speak to us? What were you thinking, Garen?" Jarvan asked.

"Anyway-" Garen started.

"Don't you 'anyway' me! You went out with one girl and returned with two! And she's just a child!" Lux said, pointing to Annie who was on Garen's shoulders.

"Garen... I didn't think you were into that kind of stuff..." Jarvan said as he slowly backed away from Garen.

"Brother... what happened to you...?" Lux said, following Jarvan as she took several steps backward.

"Hey... It isn't like that!" Garen said, trying to appeal to the two.

"Run!" Lux yelled before bolting away from Garen. Jarvan did the same too.

All of a sudden, Katarina pushed herself away from Garen and looked at him while her eyebrows twitched, "Why you..." she whipsered angrily before she slapped Garen senseless. Annie cheered and clapped as Garen got his punishment for the misunderstanding.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Palace, Jarvan opened up a parchment that had the Freljordian seal on it. He read through the contents quickly and frowned. Apparently, Noxus has requested aid from the Freljordians since they were besieged by an "unknown enemy". Ashe had sent some scouts to see who this unknown enemy was, and apparently it was the void army, with Cho'Gath leading them again. Jarvan placed the parchment down and sat down on his throne. He had many things to consider. Katarina helping out Demacia was a sign that she could be wanting to work a diplomacy between Demacia and Noxus, but the fact that they found Darius in the forests near Demacia just after the bombing meant that Noxus had a hand in the bombing. The Demacians would like some Noxian blood spilt for the bombing incident, and Katarina was the first target. If Katarina were to be executed, Garen might and will defect, either to the Freljordians or to the Noxians. If Garen defects, they lose one great magician to sorrow, which was Lux. If they lose Lux, the defense of Demacia would be halved in efficiency. There was just one way to solve these problems quickly, and it was to blame Noxus for the bombing, and at the same time, convince the people to make peace with the Noxians since they now share a common enemy. Hopefully, the small timeframe of peace and being allies would show the peoples of Noxus and Demacia that it wasn't so bad having each other as friends.

Jarvan sighed. It was all a gamble. They had to move quickly too, or Noxus would be no more if they waited too long.

"Where's Garen?" Jarvan asked Shyvana.

"He's by the entrance," Shyvana replied.

"Tell him to come here immediately."

"I'm afraid he's still getting slapped senseless by Katarina."

"Oh... Well, when he's done, tell him to come over."

"Of course."


	14. Chapter 14

Jarvan was staring out the window as he leaned on the windowpane to get some fresh air when a knock on the door made itself known.

"Come in," Jarvan called out, then he heard the door open, then close.

"You were calling for me?" Garen's voice said.

"Indeed. I want to talk to you about-" Jarvan turned around and looked at Garen's face. It was swollen and really red. One could see handprints all over Garen's cheeks, "You need some ice?"

"That would be nice."

Jarvan snapped and immediately a servant ran off to get some ice. Garen leaned his back on the wall near the window and looked at Jarvan. Jarvan returned to the windowpane and leaned his arms down on it, and he stared down at the activities that were happening in Demacia's streets and marketplace. At the corner, right around the Demacian's barracks, Jarvan could see Xin Zhao training the troops. At the opposite side of town, the Academy stood high and tall. The marketplace stood at the center, as if it was the gateway to every other place in Demacia. Sona could be seen playing her instrument for a crowd at the center of the marketplace. A gentle breeze passed by, and Jarvan turned to face his old friend.

"I got a letter from Queen Ashe. Apparently Noxus is under attack by the Void army," Jarvan said.

"Isn't that good for us?" Garen stated.

"Think about your girlfriend. You think she'd be happy if we did nothing to save her homeland?" Jarvan questioned.

"Well, no, but... they DID bomb us..." Garen mentioned.

"Garen, I think we need to move past the bombing and observe the future," Jarvan said, then looked out the window again, "We might be able to forge a truce between Demacia and Noxus."

"How is that possible? All of Demacia is crying for Noxian blood!" Garen exclaimed.

"And they will not get Noxian blood, for we have a common enemy now!" Jarvan turned to face Garen and emphasized his opinion with hand motion, "If our people and the Noxians just get a glimpse of what we can do together as allies, we can forge a permanent alliance!"

"That's great, but it doesn't help that the Elite Guard have their weapons primed for whenever Katarina walks the streets," Garen pointed out.

"I'm mobilizing the Elite Guard and the Dauntless Vanguard to move for Noxus by sundown tomorrow," Jarvan commanded.

"And we're going to save them?" Garen asked.

"Who else would save them?"

"The Freljordians?"

"The Freljordians are already on the way," Jarvan said, then thought of a way to convince Garen to agree. He sighed, then put a hand on Garen's shoulder, "Think about Katarina. She would be happy if you would lead the forces that would save her people."

After pondering about Katarina's face as she was happy and smiling, Garen couldn't resist. A gentle breeze passed by and his nose caught the scent of beef stew, the dish that Katarina was cooking. He thought of the possibility of living together with Katarina without any restrain because of their citizenship. Garen nodded, then Jarvan and Garen spent most of the afternoon planning out deployment and fighting strategies. Most of the strategies that Jarvan suggested required someone of great skill. His plans somehow always involved one man to lead a strong charge that could wipe out multiple enemies in just one strike. Garen had his Judgement, and Jarvan had Cataclysm. If anything, it was Cataclysm that would be their ace, but Jarvan had to stay in Demacia just in case the Noxians were actually plotting something terrible and launch an attack at Demacia. The plans rattled Garen's mind. How would you pull off this maneuver?

"Jarvan, I don't get it... How are we supposed to pull this off? You're asking for something none of the Demacians could do easily. I bet Galio could work some of his magic but it's too much to have to do it over and over with this plan of yours," Garen complained.

"Oh, that," Jarvan looked up from a map and looked at the strategy blueprint that Garen was looming over, "He may not be the best person for the job, but I heard this man took on Viktor's laboratory all by himself and his trusty invention, so I asked him for his help. Luckily, he agreed."

"You mean the Defender of Tomorrow?" Garen asked.

"Precisely. He should be arriving today, but I haven't seen him around yet. Do give the streets a little recon and tell me if you see him," Jarvan requested.

Garen nodded, then drew a few X's on the flanks of the formation of the leading group to make sure he added a few supplementary groups to the mix. He sighed and stepped back from the table to get a better look of the strategies as a whole. Suddenly, Jarvan and Garen heard a clamor in the hallways, and the door bursted open. It revealed a short, mischievous face clad in purple cloth, followed by a half-dragon who looked really confused as to what she would do to the child.

"Hey, big guy!" Annie called out to Garen, but held a lollipop between her teeth.

"What are you doing here?" Garen asked.

"I came here because big sister Lux told me you'd play with me!" Annie exclaimed, then spun on her heel as she cheered happily.

Jarvan looked from Annie to Shyvana and Shyvana immediately felt the need to defend herself, "I tried stopping her, sir."

"Don't worry about it," Jarvan said as he dismissed Shyvana's troubles, then said, "Go, Garen. I'll clean up here."

Garen hesitated, but Annie innocently pulled on his fingers, and Garen sighed before walking out of the room. It appeared as if he was being dragged by the little girl as they exited the Palace and into the streets of Demacia. As Garen looked to the horizon, the sun was an orangey tinge, and the sky above it was bluish-purple. It was almost sunset. Garen held Annie's hand and led her to one of Demacia's playgrounds, and he was lucky to find some children about the same age as Annie still playing around. Garen nudged Annie's back.

"Go on. I'll be here if you need anything," Garen said.

Annie smiled then ran off into the playground, then started running around with the other children. Garen looked off to the side, then saw a hill that he and Lux used to climb to look at the sunsets during autumn. He smiled as he remembered the times where they would bring blankets and then promise to meet up on that hill before sunset, then they would watch as the sun sunk below the sea and Lux would often cuddle into Garen's arm for warmth. Garen didn't want to admit it, but he missed those days. The days where he could relax and just basically do little work, for Demacia was safe. He got to roam the streets and listen to Sona's melodies as she played her instrument at the Central Plaza, or maybe enjoy a few drinks with Xin Zhao in the pub. Now, there was the unannounced war against the Void, the recent battle against Noxian forces, and having to make sure peace prevails in Valoran.

Garen's face was hit with a leaf that got blown by the wind, and he turned to see Annie all alone in the middle of the playground, with embers around her. Garen could see that she thought playing with fire was what all the kids did, and now she was lonely due to her "friends" running away in fear. Garen felt pity for the girl, and he approached her slowly. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he knelt down beside her, then turned her to face him. She had her eyes downcast, and her appearance reminded Garen of Lux when she was younger.

"Nobody wanted to play?" Garen asked.

"Nope..." Annie replied somberly.

"That's too bad."

"Mhm..."

Garen looked around for a moment, then remembered the hill that had the great view of the sunset. It was about time, too.

"Come with me," Garen said, before lifting the little girl up and put her on his shoulders.

Annie put her hands around Garen's forehead as they climed the hill. Garen reached the top quickly as he ran up the slope of the hill, Annie cheering as the wind blew her hair. When they got to the top, Garen set Annie down and sat down on the grass. Annie sat beside him, and the two looked at the sunset over the sea. The water glimmered as the sun's reflection was distorted by the waves, and Annie could see some of the ships off to the side where the harbor was. Annie's teeth clattered, and Garen took off his scarf and wrapped it around Annie to keep her warm. Annie looked up at Garen, and Garen smiled at the child.

"Hey, big guy..." Annie said softly.

"Yeah?" Garen responded.

"Do you think anyone wants to play with me?"

"Of course. As long as you don't hurt them or scare them with your fire, then it'll be fine," Garen said, rubbing Annie's head slightly. The sun was halfway down the sea.

"Really?"

"Yup! I bet if you told Tibbers to keep his flames off, and just be a normal bear, then the kids would think that it's cool."

Annie gave Garen's words a bit of thought, and continued to watch the sunset. Stars were beginning to appear in the sky, and the breeze grew colder. Annie had to snuggle up to Garen's arm to keep warm. Garen wondered a little. Was he happy, that he was able to watch the sunset with someone, or was he sad, that there was never time for anyone else to come up to this hill and watch the sunset with him? Would moments like this happen again in the future? Garen sighed. Nevertheless, this was a moment worth living for. A moment worth fighting for. Garen kept his eyes at the setting sun until it completely hid under the sea, and he looked down at Annie. It appeared that she had fallen asleep holding onto his arm. Garen smiled slightly, then carried Annie in a princess hold, and began the descending of the hill.

* * *

As he approached the door to his house, Garen had to knock with his foot so he doesn't disturb Annie. Usually it was Lux that opened the door, but this time, it was Katarina. She looked at the sleeping child in Garen's arms and decided to stay quiet, but stepped aside the doorway to let Garen in. The difference in temperature from outside compared to inside the house stirred Annie a little bit, but Garen went straight for his room and lay Annie quietly on his bed. He closed the curtains and tucked Annie in with his blanket, then gently closed the door behind him. As he turned, he found Katarina in the hallway, waiting for him.

"I see you've grown close to that girl," Katarina said.

"She's just a little girl. She deserves a proper childhood," Garen commented.

"The proper childhood you know of is Demacian. The proper childhood I know is Noxian."

"I know that. But we have to be different for her."

"Why? What's so important about her that we have to step out of our way and be parents to her?" Katarina asked, rather harshly.

"Because, unlike you, I actually want a family." Garen said, then walked past Katarina without another word.

Katarina stood there as she took a bit to absorb what Garen had said. She never thought that he would be a family kind of guy. Oh, the perks of loving a man you thought was your enemy. However, there was a bit of tension between them now, and it might not help if Katarina had to defend herself. As Katarina walked into the dining area, she found Lux serving dinner on the table for four, the fourth one probably for Annie but she hasn't discovered that she already fell asleep. Katarina went to the living room and started to watch the news on the Noxian Channel - which, by the way, Katarina has no idea why the Demacians would have this channel - and sat down on the couch. She was nice and comfy in her baggy sweatpants and tank top.

"Dinner time!" Lux called out.

Katarina turned off the television and went to the dining area, where she found Garen already sitting down at his usual spot. She sat down at her spot and Lux sat down on her own spot. The three ate, and Lux shared stories of what she did while Garen was out of the house, and Garen listened intently. After Lux was done, Garen shared how Annie was deserted by her playmates in the playground and how the two of them went to watch the sunset.

"I miss that place," Lux said as she was cleaning up the dishes.

"I'll wash the dishes," Katarina volunteered.

Garen got up from his chair and went to the living room. His silence was really getting on Katarina's nerves, and she hurried along with the dishes. Lux retired to her room for the night, and Katarina wiped her hands on a hand towel before sitting down beside Garen on the couch.

"Listen, Garen..." Katarina started.

"I'm listening."

"I love you and all, but with everything going on recently, I don't think I'm ready for a family with you yet." Katarina said, then held Garen's hand and interlocked their fingers.

"I thought so..." Garen mumbled, before sighing.

Katarina held Garen's chin and turned it so he would look at her eyes, "The time would come when we could live together peacefully. Trust me," she said.

"I'll just have to wait, huh?"

"That's not so bad, is it?"

"I might die in this war against the Void, and-" Garen started.

"Don't you ever, ever, talk that way. You won't die. The only way you'll ever die is if I kill you." Katarina said, cutting into Garen's sentence.

"Would you?" Garen asked.

"If you did something stupid, maybe." Katarina replied.

"That's comforting."

"By the way, don't we have to get married before we have a family?" Katarina asked.

"I guess... I mean, we don't HAVE to, but it'd be nice to offically call you my wife." Garen stated.

Katarina smirked, "Your time will come."

Garen yawned a little bit, then Katarina let go of Garen's hand and stretched, "We should head to bed," Katarina suggested.

"Go sleep with Annie. I don't want her to wake up all alone," Garen said.

"You want ME to do that?"

"It would look wrong if I did it..." Garen said.

"Fine, fine... Good night, Garen."

"Good night, Kat."

Katarina went off into Garen's room and closed the door, and Garen got up from the couch to check the locks on the doors and sneaked into Lux's room to snatch a pillow. He returned to the couch and lay his head on the pillow, and he stared at the ceiling for a while. Two days from now, he would see Ashe and Tryndamere again, most likely. And he was going to meet this Jayce from Piltover sometime soon. Garen thought that the room got darker as he got more engrossed in his thoughts, but it was only his eyelids closing as he fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

The sun glared through the skies, it's heat radiated across Demacia, and the noise of the citizens as they repaired their homes filled the air. Every Demacian wore light clothing, such as tank tops, shorts, or sleeveless shirts. Most of them were white or blue; the color of the Demacian flag. The repair process of Demacia's bombed districts were going at a slow, steady pace. Jarvan already commissioned the Dauntless Vanguard to work extra by helping in the construction field. A warm breeze blew every now and then, allowing a short respite for the citizens hard at work from the constant construction work that assailed them. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported due to accidents, which just reflected the instilled discipline that each Demacian citizen had, or will have. Despite being eager and hard working, many wonder if there's anything that would speed up this process.

Right as the sun peaked the sky, there came a tall man. He looked neat; his hair combed, his chin shaved, and his clothing was wrinkle-free. He carried a hammer on his shoulders while he dragged a cart, and there was a friendly smirk upon his lips as he approached the entrance to Demacia. The man was accompanied by a short fellow, clad with a scientist's garb and a wrench. His main feature was most likely what seems to be his hair, which looked like a brain. The two were having a nice chat with each other as they drew closer to the entrance, the tall one occasionally laughing when the short one did a backflip or some other fancy stunt. The gatekeepers looked at each other before crossing their spears in front of the gate.

"State your name and purpose!" yelled one gatekeeper.

The travelling duo stopped, and the tall one held his hammer straight up as he pointed his thumb to himself, "I am Jayce, from Piltover," he said in a friendly tone.

"And I am Heimerdinger," the short one replied.

"We're here because we were summoned by Prince Jarvan IV," Jayce explained.

"Well, if it's under the Prince's orders, then you may come in. It may not look too good, but welcome to Demacia," the gatekeeper said, before uncrossing his spear and opening the gate.

"Have a nice day, gentlemen," Jayce said as he entered through the door, then Heimerdinger followed.

* * *

"Can you hand me my shoulder armor, please?" Garen asked from across the hallway in his home, as he was situated in the living room.

"Get it yourself, lazy," Katarina replied with the same volume, who was sharpening her knives in Garen's room.

"You're right there, might as well grab it for me," Garen said.

"Nu-uh. I'm too busy sharpening my knives right now," Katarina replied.

Garen sighed. Sometimes, Katarina could be a handful. She would act out like no one's business and expect no comeback from it, such as when she just grabbed an apple from the market and ate it without paying for it. She wouldn't do anything you asked of her when she was sharpening her knives, which she did almost everyday at the busiest time of the day. Garen speculated that she was used to being a kind of princess back in Noxus, for she was the General's daughter and all. Speaking of Noxus, Garen wondered if there would be anything different had he and Darius met on a different occasion. What if they met each other in a bar or something and had a drink or two together while getting to know each other? They both had their similarities. The urge to fight for one's city-state, loyalty, a younger sibling, a massive weapon, they both spin, and they were both the icons of their respective cities. Garen shook his head. He was a hardcore Noxian and would probably chop his head off without a second thought should Garen give him the chance.

Lux emerged from her room and passed by Garen as he went to his room to grab his shoulder armor. Lux took sometime to look for the hairbrush, which she left on the couch last night, and when she finally found it after flipping the cushions over, she went to a mirror and started brushing her hair. It had been rather energetic in the house lately with Katarina living with them. Garen was usually quiet at home. He cooked, did the laundry, cleaned the house, etc. Lux smiled a little. Perhaps Katarina living with them was not such a bad idea after all now that she saw what effects it had on her brother. There was one thing that she didn't like, though. Garen and Katarina were acting like teenagers whenever they were around each other. They would throw things to and fro, yell at each other from across the house, sit on the couch and watch TV, sharpen their weapons, then they get into the lovey-dovey stuff.

"Have you seen my gauntlet?" Garen asked as he suddenly appeared in Lux's vision.

"Annie was playing around with it this morning."

Garen may be acting like a teenager, but having Annie with them at home brought out the parent within him. Annie was wearing Lux's old clothes from when she was her age, and she didn't look too shabby. Garen found her in Lux's room, toying around with his solid gauntlet and making it some sort of helmet for her bear, Tibbers. Annie squealed when Garen took his gauntlet and put it on, wiggling his fingers as he pulled down on it to get a better fit. He gently pat Annie's head as he left Lux's room, then whisked his sword from the back of his room's door. Katarina was dressed in her usual outfit, with daggers primed. Lux called Annie from her room, and Annie came carrying Lux's staff. Lux smiled, then looked at Katarina and Garen.

"Ready to go?" Garen asked.

"Yup!" the three resonated.

Garen nodded and took the lead by opening the door. He took a few large strides forward, only to stop dumbfounded.

"What is it?" Lux asked.

"There's machines... everywhere," Garen said with wonder.

The view right in front of them was filled with citizens working alongside floating balls of metal with arms the size of a human head, which helped them with the construction. There was about four or five balls per house, and it seemed like they were working nonstop. The methodical movements of the machines made the repair process shorter, and the people could see that they should be done rebuilding by the end of the week if the repairs continue at this pace.

"Amazed?" A voice asked the group.

Garen turned and saw Jayce, with his hammer on his shoulder.

"Yeah... You must be Jayce, from Piltover," Garen said, then extended his hand for a shake.

"The famed Garen Crownguard. Your reputation as commander of the Dauntless Vanguard has reached all the way to my hometown," Jayce replied, then shook Garen's hand. He looked at Lux and Katarina and charmed them with a smile before nodding, "Ladies."

"Did you bring all of these?" Garen asked, pointing to one of the balls.

"Yep. Hextech Workers, I call them. They're originally Heimerdinger's machines, but I infused them with a little bit of my innovation and the products are these."

"That's a big hammer..." Lux commented, her eyes dreamy while staring at Jayce.

"Ah, this! This is my prized possession. The Mercury Hammer. Unfortunately, I can't tell you too many details, but it's really a handy tool," Jayce said.

Garen clasped Jayce's shoulder and shook him a bit, "We're glad you came."

"The pleasure's all ours," Jayce replied. He leaned a little to the side to look at Katarina, and his eyebrows raised as his eyes widened, "I did not know Noxus and Demacia had a peace treaty already."

Garen looked at Jayce then traced his view until he saw the frowning redhead, "Ah. She's just staying with us."

"It must have taken a huge amount of persuasion to make her stay, though," Jayce commented.

"You could say that," Garen said softly.

Jayce nodded slightly then observed Garen's group. He noticed Lux, her dreamy eyes looking onto him. Jayce flashed her a smile before he felt his coat being pulled on. He looked down to meet the gaze of Annie. Jayce's eyes turned from calm to alarmed, then snapped his attention back to Garen.

"You can't possibly be bringing this child into battle," Jayce said. Even his own voice sounded ludicrous at mentioning child and battle in the same sentence.

"You should know that she is extremely skilled. We could use her on the battlefield," Garen remarked, bearing no concern on his face.

"I know she is remarkable on the Fields of Justice, but we're talking about a full-scale battle here."

"She knows what to do when things go wrong," Garen then glanced at Annie, "Right?"

Annie nodded, "Run as fast as I can!"

"Good girl."

Lux approached Jayce and gave him a light tap on his shoulder. Jayce turned to Lux and smiled, firing off a signal at Garen that he should probably leave the two alone.

"Hey, Jayce," Lux started.

"Yes, ma'am?" Jayce asked.

"Would you like to share your age to me?"

Jayce let out a chuckle, "How old do you think I am?"

"Hmm... 23?" Lux guessed.

"Higher."

"25?"

"Higher."

"27?"

Jayce mocked a wince, "Do I look that old?"

"You're 27?" Lux asked with disbelief.

"No, no. I'm 26."

"Really? You're a year younger than my brother," Lux said.

"Then that makes you 24, am I right?" Jayce said with a grin.

"Yes," Lux affirmed.

"You look younger than you really are."

"I bet you say that to all the girls," Katarina interrupted.

"What?" Lux asked Katarina.

"This guy's dating the Sheriff of Piltover," Katarina stated.

Lux turned to Jayce, her eyes searching for confirmation from him.

"Well, yes. I did," Jayce admitted.

"You did? What happened?"

"We had to break up. She works from sunrise to sundown, and most times she goes out at night to do some patrols around Piltover. I spend most of my time in my laboratory working on new innovations. We really didn't get to see each other that often."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry that you had to break up," Lux said, putting her hand on Jayce's shoulder.

"It's okay. We're still good friends. She's a flirty one, and I don't really mind that," Jayce said, smiling at Lux.

"Well, if you need anything, just ask," Garen said to Jayce.

"Of course," Jayce responded.

* * *

The sun peaked and now began to sink behind the sea. The wavy waters were painted with an orange hue, and up in the sky were the stars accompanying the moon. The clattering of shields, swords, and spears engulfed Demacia, along with the farewells that each soldier gave to their families as they stood near the gates, ready to leave. Leading the Elite Guard was Jarvan on horseback, and adjacent was Garen, who made sure the Dauntless Vanguard were ready. A quick blow of the horn signalled the soldiers to line up to formation, and they did so crisply. Jayce left some items with Heimerdinger who opted to stay and improve the infrastructure to better withstand pressure. Shyvana was first among those who followed Jarvan, while Lux and Katarina were in the first rank of the Dauntless Vanguard. Jayce, as an honored guest, stood beside Garen. Everyone had said their goodbyes, and with Jarvan raising his lance, the soldiers marched out, through the gates, and into the twilight.

A two-day march with fleeting breaks for the bathroom or refilling flasks of water. The Demacians ate and drank while they marched, and they had no sleep. Perhaps the one who found it unusual was Jayce. Demacian soldiers were trained and drilled to go for long periods of time without sleep. Sure, Jayce would pull all-nighters working on his projects, but two days straight? That was a different story. The Defender of Tomorrow pulled through, however tired he was.

The sight of Freljordian camps on the outskirts of Noxus was a comforting sight. The feeling was mutual when the Freljordian forces saw the Demacian banner flying high. As the Demacian forces set up camp beside the Freljordians, Jarvan ordered the soldiers to build camaraderie with their rare ally. It would do well in the battlefield. Ashe and Tryndamere met up with Jarvan and Garen, and began discussing tactics in the War Tent. Many people in the Freljordian forces were inspired upon seeing several Demacian champions such as Shyvana and Lux. It gave them hope that they would have an advantage against the enemy.

Unfortunately, the Noxian commanders had refused to reply to the messages that Tryndamere had sent to them. Swain refused to set sight upon Jarvan and his "little band of hooligans", let alone be in the same tent and be discussing strategy and tactics. This upset Jarvan, who then sent a message to the Noxian gates himself. He held the parchment in his hand, and demanded the guards to present Swain immediately.

"I always knew Jarvan was a hothead, but this? He's voluntarily offering his neck to the guillotine here," Tryndamere stated to Ashe.

"Well, what can you do? They've been enemies for a very long time," Ashe replied.

"And to think he was the one that proposed to me that a permanent peace treaty could be forged after this battle..." Garen muttered.

The gates opened, and Swain presented himself with Beatrice, his crow, on his shoulder and Darius slightly behind him. Swain was rather surprised that Jarvan had not kept a bodyguard within close proximity.

"What's stopping me from killing you right now?" Swain asked.

"If you kill me, let alone leave a scratch on me, those 6000 soldiers camped at your outskirts will storm this city along with the Void army that we know is about to come," Jarvan threatened.

The two glared at each other, and Darius held his axe, ready to chop Jarvan in half. Swain snatched the parchment from Jarvan's hand and turned his back, limping back to the safety of his gates.

"I'll send out a message detailing what my forces can do. But I'm not about to give you any layout or how many we are," Swain said, before the gates closed.

Jarvan frowned, and began walking back to his camp. Suddenly, the ground shook.

Jarvan scowled, "What is that? Noxian troops?" Jarvan looked at his camp, "My soldiers aren't causing it..."

Then several spikes popped out of the ground below Jarvan, and he was luckily in a position where the spikes wouldn't impale him. Off in the distance, the growls and snarls of the void creatures became louder and louder. Jarvan hastily returned to his camp and did not pause when confronted by Garen and Tryndamere.

Jarvan ordered his audience, "Ready the soldiers. The fight is here."


	16. Chapter 16

The Demacians stood side by side, having Freljordians at their back. "Freljordian" is quite a broad term, considering there were three tribes in Freljord. The Demacians had the Avarosans to fight with them today, at the very least. As the clouds grew dark and thunder began to roll. The Dauntless Vanguard yelled at the void creatures who were charging forward, and the deafening thunder masked the bigger roars of the void creatures at the back lines. Garen raised his sword, and the Dauntless Vanguard, as their name suggests, prepared for surging forward. The first to fight. Many people believe being first to fight also means being first to die, but that death would be worth one's life if it makes a huge difference in the outcome of the battle.

The steady breathing of the thousands at their back urged the Dauntless Vanguard to be stalwart, and with Garen leading the charge, they all echoed in unison, "Demacia!" The ground shook as the heavily armored Demacians charged straight into the void creatures. Their front lines consisted of the expendable fighters, the voidlings. Behind the voidlings were the human-sized creatures with varying appendages or colors, and the rest were just abominations. As the next thunderclap roared, the Demacians made contact with their enemy. Blood splattered everywhere with the initial charge, and some weapons were not sharp enough to cut through some void monsters' hardened skin. Some of the larger, fiercer monsters could send squads of soldiers flying with a single swing of their massive appendages, while some soldiers had the ill fate of being flattened by elephant-like void beings. The swords and spears of the Demacians combined with the bows and axes of the Avarosans, as they stood, had little chance of defeating the entirety of the void army that they engaged with. The smashing sound of bones, the cries of pain, the yells of encouragement, and weapons clashing filled the ambient air of the battlefield.

Shyvana and a detachment of Elite Guards were trapped within enemy lines as they charged too far ahead, while Jayce and Katarina were attempting to secure Noxus's walls from being charged. Jarvan was already en route to Shyvana's aid, and Lux was providing cover for the Noxian defense team. Jarvan and Garen ensured the front lines did not falter, and Tryndamere was being himself, going berserk on the enemy. Ashe and her archers fired volley after volley into the ranks of the void army. Annie was kept safe under Ashe's care. Prior to the charge, Garen made it clear that Annie was not to join the battle in the front lines. She was too young to even be present at the battlefield, but considering her parents were from Noxus, she might want to defend it.

Garen swung his sword at a monster with brute force, cleaving through it's claws. Jarvan then impaled the monster with his dragon lance, leaving his flank to Garen. The two were an incredible team, but they could only go so far with their abilities. When a gigantic void monster slammed it's front legs on the ground in front of Jarvan and Garen, they both were launched airborne, and crashed into the soldiers behind them. Like water in a river, the soldiers quickly filled the gap that Jarvan and Garen had made. It was their protocol. Demacians never retreat, they say, and that's because of their battle tactics when it comes to front line combat. The line must always be in tact. If someone falters, make haste to replace him or her. It was almost like a phalanx, but instead of shields, it was a phalanx of lethal soldiers. What's the point of defending when you can eliminate the enemy before having to defend, right?

"Garen, how long do you think before the Noxians come out?" Jarvan asked his partner as they recollected themselves.

"I have no idea," Garen retorted, having great distrust in Noxian command except for Katarina.

"Right. I hope the forces we brought would be ample enough to stop this menace."

Garen offered his hand to Jarvan, who took it and lifted himself up from the ground. Both then turned to the front line, and resumed combat after a loud shout of encouragement to the men who fought beside them.

Jayce and Katarina, on the other hand, were having a tough time trying to hold back the void monsters from trying to ransack the walls of Noxus. Jayce would send a massive blast by firing his shock ball through an acceleration gate, and it would take down plenty of little voidlings, but more monsters replaced them. Some were larger than most. Katarina did her best to throw her daggers and shunpo-ing to safety, and the handful of soldiers with them also did their job. However, because of the ruckus they were making, the void army began sending more monsters to their direction. Originally, the void creatures were present to attack the city of Noxus, but with the joint army of the Avarosans and the Demacians, they decided to attack them first. Nothing like a hearty meal before a heavy task, right? Jayce and Katarina's actions reminded the void army of why they were here in the first place.

"You alright?" Jayce asked over his shoulder to Katarina.

"Don't worry about me, just keep doing what you're doing," Katarina yelled back.

Jayce switched from cannon to hammer mode, and knocked back the larger monsters to buy some time for the people behind him. He also activated his electric field to ensure that any monster coming near him would pay for ever thinking of doing just that. Katarina shunpo'd to a monster and used a flurry of blades to eliminate plenty of monsters, but all of a sudden, a creature with scythe-like claws and large wings jumped on her and clawed at her, making Katarina fall. The monster pounced on Katarina, stabbing her arms to the ground with it's claws and stepping on her knees to make sure she cannot get up, then it brandished its teeth. Katarina closed her eyes, when all of a sudden, the creature made a loud noise and got off of her. She held her arms close, then scanned her surroundings to see what made the monster leave. It was then that she saw blades flying around in a fashion she knew the most. Talon.

The ground shook, and Katarina turned to see what caused it. She saw two whirling... axes, headed right her direction so she rolled out of the way. The axes chopped many monsters in it's path, and took out some body parts of the Demacian soldiers that were unfortunate enough. The axes didn't just go straight. They rebounded and chopped everything in it's path on the way back as well. Katarina followed the axes with her eyes, and saw Draven catching them. He had the usual crazy grin as he bounced his axes off the monsters he saw. Then a flock of birds began flying to and fro, attacking what they encountered, then returned to their owner: Jericho Swain. With the Noxian champions out on the field, it was clear what was about to happen. The rumbling of the ground happened again, but this time more intense. The Noxian Army charged from their walls and yelled obscenities at the void army, then crashed ranks with them. The Noxians were known for their gruesome and bloody way of fighting, and the void army experienced it first hand. Unlike the Demacians and their organized way of war, the Noxians let loose on the battlefield, caring little if they injure friend or foe. Ruthless soldiers. Talon kept fighting what now was known as Kha'Zix, and Draven enjoyed seeing blood come out from the monsters he bounced his axe off of. Katarina began to stand, but another void monster threatened to kill her. She tried to defend herself, when suddenly someone appeared before her eyes, seemingly coming from the air. The monster that attacked her suddenly fell in two, as if chopped in half. The man turned around and offered his axe to lift Katarina up.

"Darius..." Katarina muttered.

"Get up, woman. It already pains me to have to lift a fellow Noxian when they should be strong enough to rise themselves," Darius replied.

Katarina held onto the dull part of Darius's axe and lifted herself up, then Darius grabbed her arm. Katarina thought it would hurt, considering Darius wasn't really the gentle kind of guy, but she was surprised that he was actually being cautious with the way he held her.

"We'll get you treated once this skirmish is over," He said. Katarina looked at Darius with confusion, then Darius added, "Don't get hurt."

What was this? Darius being nice to Katarina? The brute man was not known to be anywhere near nice. He was brutal, forceful and powerful. Katarina had never seen this part of Darius, to be honest, and it reminded her a lot of Garen. He was the stalwart Demacian warrior who would never even talk to a Noxian if it wasn't for the benefit of Demacia, but he showed her great care and love. What was it with tough guys suddenly going soft for her? It puzzled Katarina, but Jayce's shock blast exploding near her vicinity made her snap back to reality, and she picked up her daggers to resume the fight.

Lux fired a large laser in the ranks of the void army for Garen and Jarvan to exploit, then she retreated to Ashe's side. The Avarosan archers seemed to be getting tired from firing volleys nonstop, and their ammunition was running low. They have dispatched a messenger to run back through the Ironspike Mountains and into Freljord to send a convoy of supplies to the front lines. It should take the messenger half a day to to get to Freljord on horseback, and a whole day for the supply convoy to reach their current camp.

"How are you holding up?" Lux asked Ashe.

"We're doing alright," Ashe said as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"How many more volleys could you do?"

"At this rate, maybe five or six more. We're really low on arrows. We might have to resort in throwing rocks if this keeps up," Ashe commented, ordering her archers to stand down. Ashe had 160 archers with her, and the other Avarosans were on the front lines. Ashe's gaze suddenly became worried when she had passed upon a horrible sight on the battlefield. Thousands of dead soldiers littered the field, and only a handful of void corpses were visible. It was obvious that the front line was exhausted, and the Noxian army showed no intention of relieving the Demacians of the battle. They only fought to keep their walls safe. The battle worn soldiers still fought beside their champions in what seemed like a futile effort. Their shields were battered, their swords chipped, their armor broken.

Lux sighed, but when she looked out into the field, she saw that with just a final push, they could gain victory. Lux turned to Ashe, and she knew what the plan was. Ashe resumed firing volleys with her archers, and sent Nunu to the middle of the enemy ranks. Lux fired a laser to clear the way for him, then ran to the front lines. Annie followed Lux, and summoned her Tibbers to fight alongside the soldiers. Naturally, the two were quickly engaged in battle and were on the verge of defeat.

Lux held Annie in her arms like a mother protecting her child as Cho'Gath loomed over the two, about to feast. Garen ran to their aid only to be knocked away by Cho'Gath's massive tail. He kept fighting, hitting Cho's hard skin with his blade, but Cho ignored him. Garen summoned the might of Demacia onto Cho, and it inflicted enough damage to make Cho retreat. The exhausted champion dropped his sword and fell to his knees. He crawled to the shivering girls with what little strength he had. His arms scooped up dirt as he crawled, and it disoriented him as the blood from the cut on his eyebrow rendered one of his eyes useless. Lux and Annie saw that Cho was gone, and that Garen was making his way to them. They both ran to him and embraced him, taking comfort in his presence. Their tears flowed like a river from their eyes, and Garen sat up to be able to wrap his arms around the two. The tightness of the girls' embrace let Garen know how scared they were, and that they didn't want to let go in fear of being in danger again. It's true, they face danger almost every day, but it was on the fields of justice. To learn that they could've died with no chance of being respawned scared the two to great length. Both were young and naive, so Garen couldn't blame them.

Nunu's ultimate cleared a lot of the void army, and they were forced to retreat. With thousands of corpses littering the battlefield, the survivors all embraced each other. It was like the end of the world for those soldiers who survived, and it was a reality for those who did not. Men and women who survived embraced, and they cared not for their previous relationships with each other. They survived, and they all celebrated. It wasn't that they were not devastated by seeing their comrades die, but they were just so happy to find that they were not the only ones who survived. They cried tears of joy, but those tears also reflected the pain of losing so many in a single day.

Garen sat with Lux and Annie, comforting them from their traumatic experience. Jarvan walked through the sea of blood and dead bodies with Shyvana in his arms. Ashe supported Tryndamere in standing, and Jayce couldn't help but realize how sheltered he was. This was what the Demacians and Freljordians have been experiencing all this time while he was in his lab and fighting Viktor. He thought the fights he had been a participant in Piltover and Zaun were horrible. They were, but this was on such a massive scale that it felt worse. However, Jayce knew that the immediate events that were to happen would be difficult. It was already about to play out, as Swain and Darius approached Jarvan and Shyvana. In Swain's hand was a parchment.

"We want your rabble rousers out of our lands immediately. We will burn the dead bodies, and we will take back Katarina. Sign this, and these survivors will not be harmed," Swain demanded.

Jarvan's face contorted and he shook with anger, but Katarina appeared from behind Swain and put a hand on Jarvan's shoulder, "He can't get himself to say it. However, we are in a limited alliance until the threat is over."

Jarvan scowled at Katarina, "And what were those demands?"

Katarina turned to Swain then back to Jarvan, "He's deceiving you. If you read what the parchment said, you'll find that what I have said was true."

Jarvan sighed, then looked at Swain. He was obviously not happy. Jarvan looked to Swain, then to Darius, "We've lost so many. Where's our guarantee that you will not attack my forces?"

Darius replied, "There is none."

Jarvan grit his teeth, "Then how do you expect me to sign this 'alliance' treaty, huh? We aren't in an 'alliance' if our 'allies' attack us."

Talon made an appearance in the scene, and being the calm dude that he was, he made a comment. "We may be ruthless killers, but that doesn't mean we do not know diplomacy."

Draven made an appearance as well, and he pointed at Jarvan with both his fingers in a gun-like position, "Besides, you Demacian dudes get into battles like this so much. If we tag along with you guys, we get to kill many dudes too. Draven likes killing dudes."

Feeling surrounded, which he was, Jarvan took a step back. Jayce stood beside him, then Jarvan nodded to Jayce. Jayce took the parchment from Swain and opened it for Jarvan to read, and when Jarvan finished perusing the document, he closed his eyes. He adjusted Shyvana in his arms so he could free his writing hand. Jayce handed him a pen and Jarvan signed the alliance treaty, until Jarvan saw the fine print. They wanted Katarina back right now. Jarvan knew the effect it would have on Garen, but he can't just throw away the opportunity to have the Noxians bound by oath not to attack his devastated army.

It took many hours to recover the injured from the dead, and to dig graves for the fallen. The Avarosan archers consisted of mostly women, and the women of Freljord were trained in medical procedures as well as combat, so they acted as nurses to the injured as well. Tryndamere was in a critical condition with several lacerations and impalements from his side of the battle, and Garen had reopened his wound from his fight with Darius in the battle. Jarvan had a slight concussion and a foot injury, and Jayce suffered dehydration. Shyvana was also in critical condition, and the Avarosans were doing their best to stabilize the injured. In Noxus, Katarina received treatment for the wounds she suffered, but she couldn't help but think what became of the Demacians she lived with for a while. As she was deep in thought, Darius knocked on her door.

"Busy?" Darius asked.

"No, not really," Katarina replied.

Darius entered Katarina's room and closed the door shut behind him, then leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. Katarina gave him a confused look, then Darius sighed.

"I was told to interrogate you, considering you lived with the enemy."

"Weird. They wanted to do that to me too," Katarina said.

"Yeah, well. What matters is that you're back, and Swain wants you to make sure you don't go back to their wretched city."

"Yeah, yeah."

The two observed some silence, then Darius decided to step up and break the ice, "Wanna go get a drink?"

Katarina looked at Darius oddly, then rolled her eyes, "I don't see why not," she said then got up from the bed.

Back in the Demacian - Avarosan camp, Garen sat on a rock silently. He had just received the word about the alliance treaty and the conditions that Jarvan signed it under, and he mulled about it for a little. Ashe came to his tent and checked up on Garen, because after all that happened, he was still the lost poro that wandered to her gathering hall one bright night. She sat down beside Garen and kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the brooding hulk by her side. She took a cursory glance at Garen's face, and noticed his brows were furrowed, his mouth a frown, and his eyes squinted. It was as if he was staring at some grotesque image that he couldn't process it's purpose.

Ashe grew worried, then gently lay her hand on Garen's shoulder, like a feather landing on the water's surface. Garen broke his trance then turned his head to look at Ashe. From the disgruntled look to a mask of pure confusion, Ashe could tell Garen was beginning to question the choices he made recently. Garen turned his gaze away from Ashe, and she promptly held his chin so he would look back at her.

"It's okay. I'm here," Ashe said, comforting as a mother and reassuring as a queen. She smiled softly at the confused man, "It's okay, lost poro, it's okay."

Garen bowed his head, and Ashe put an arm around his shoulders. She had to be really close to him, otherwise she would have a hard time covering both his shoulders. He WAS a big man. Garen turned so he would be facing Ashe a little bit more, causing Ashe's arm to be on his shoulder, and her palm on the back of his neck. She then felt a large and heavy arms wrap around her torso, and Garen's face buried in her shoulder. Ashe embraced Garen and kissed his head, swaying to and fro in an attempt to comfort him.

To see the paragon of Demacia's military strength seeking comfort in the arms of the Avarosan Queen was a sight no one had ever seen. Garen had no room to show emotional distress. He was the shining example of the best Demacian soldiers could be, and being sad was not part of it. All of the years he suppressed his feelings now came out in the form of tears and his controlled sobs, and Ashe felt motherly compassion. The way Garen entered a deeper, more intimate relationship with her and Tryndamere shed light on Ashe that this was a taste of what motherhood was like. To take care of a child, to teach them your ways of life, to cheer for their success and to carry them from defeat. And now, to be present in their time of need.

Ashe couldn't give anything to Garen that would make him feel better, and her loving embrace was all she could spare. She thought quietly, then sang gently:

A song is enough

To change the world

And make it alright in the end

I'll sing it for you

To mend your lost soul

And make it alright in the end

She found the song most appropriate for the man in her arms, and she followed through with humming a gentle tune. Just things she thought would comfort Garen and make him know that there is still going to be a new day, a new beginning.

Garen's thoughts raced. His love for Katarina, the loss of so many soldiers, the closely avoided death of his sister and Annie. Were these what the paragon of Demacia's might should display? He was conflicted with the way he had devout feelings for Katarina, but he knew she was a Noxian. When she returned to Noxus, everyone was satisfied but him. His people will be happy, the Noxians would be happy, but not him. Was it so bad to love someone who belonged to the people you've been waging war with since the beginning of civilization? Garen fell deeper and deeper into the abyss of confusion until Ashe's voice filled his ears. Her warmth enveloped him, and lifted him from the abyss. Her humming brought comfort to his heart, and he began to relax in Ashe's arms. The last time he felt this way was when he was injured as a child, and his mother held him lovingly. Garen held Ashe tightly, as if he did not want to let her go. As if he was afraid to let her go. Ashe smiled, and rubbed Garen's back gently. She made him lie down with her so he would be more comfortable instead of having to support his own weight, and she also felt that he was straining not to lean completely on her.

The pyrrhic victory, and the realization that Garen had deviated from his original image permeated Ashe's thoughts. Maybe all he needed was love and food, just like a lost poro.


	17. Chapter 17

Ashe opened her eyes to the dim moonlight that flooded the tent. She fell asleep trying to comfort Garen with his recent losses, and she awoke alone. She sat up and stretched, then left the tent to investigate Garen's whereabouts. She passed by multiple tents with people being tended to their wounds inside, or just sleeping. She went to the great bonfire at the center of the camp to see people celebrating. They ate and they danced, they sang songs and they shouted. After all that happened, it was a victory. Ashe knew that her fallen people would appreciate if the living would continue to enjoy their lives, but remember the sacrifices done. As she scanned the surrounding area, she found Lux and Annie singing along some of the Avarosans in a familiar rhyme. At another spot around the bonfire, she saw Jarvan standing up as he observed the celebration. However, there were no signs of Garen or Tryndamere.

Ashe made her way over to Jarvan, the latter giving her a greeting with royalty. She returned the greeting, then asked, "Have you seen my husband?"

Jarvan looked around, as if trying to look for him, then pointed a certain direction, "I saw him walk that way a few minutes ago," he said.

"Thank you," Ashe said, then bowed and went to the direction Jarvan pointed.

She walked with the moonlight illuminating her path, then she heard muffled noises of clanking. It was like equipment being moved. She went to the source and found several men suiting up in their wargear. She could identify many of the men to be Demacian, but what surprised her is that there were many from the barbarian tribes that was under Tryndamere's control. She scowled, then approached the group of men. When they saw her, they all froze as if they saw a ghost, and Ashe raised an eyebrow.

"Tryn?" she called out.

Of course, Tryndamere knew who's voice it was that called his name, and playing dumb would only result in tragedy. He turned around, already geared up, "Yes, my queen?"

"What's going on? Why are these men preparing for war?" Ashe questioned.

"Well, my good friend asked me to go with him to battle. I can't resist," Tryndamere pointed to a big man speaking to a woman.

The man looked very familiar, and it struck Ashe with nostalgia when she realized what she was looking at. The lighting from the bright moon was exactly the same that night. His outfit was the same that night. Rugged Garen.

"...and you're sure about this?" Garen said in a soft voice to the woman he was talking to.

Ashe observed the woman, and found her to be contrasting to Garen's bulky figure. She was slender, quite tall, and had a bird perched on her arm.

"Val can't be mistaken," the woman said.

"Alright, thank you, Quinn. Report to Jarvan when you can," Garen dismissed the woman. She left immediately.

Garen turned around to see Ashe with her arms crossed, an obvious frown on her face. He took a step backwards, but Ashe chased him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ashe demanded.

"Our scout reported that there was a void outpost nearby Zaun, just at the base of the Ironspike Mountains."

"And you plan on attacking it without letting the others know?"

"It is best if they did not know. They've already seen too much loss," Garen said, suddenly taking a serious tone.

"What about these men with you? Have they not had their fair share of loss and death? What if they die too?" Ashe replied with a serious tone of her own.

"They are willing to sacrifice themselves if it eliminates a threat to Demacia or Freljord."

"Ashe, I know this sounds crazy but this is our chance to show the enemy that we are not a force to be meddled with," Tryndamere said.

"And what? Let them terrorize other people because they can't mess with us anymore?"

"Our scout says that this outpost contains an artifact that is the source of all the void portals appearing all over the world. If we secure it, we can have an advantage," Garen interjected.

Ashe furrowed her brows and balled her hands into fists, then sighed. She kissed the tip of her fingers and put it on Garen's forehead, then gave Tryndamere a kiss on the cheek, "There's no stopping you now," she said, then smiled softly at the two.

Garen and Tryndamere led their band of 50 men Northeast, to the base of the Ironspike mountains. Ashe stood at the edge of the camp, watching the two men that shared her heart. She held her arms, as if keeping their warmth close to her. With their backs turned and their figure growing smaller as they got farther, Ashe felt a sense of loneliness. It was like when children cry when their parents leave, but she continued to watch until they disappeared in the distance, and Ashe turned back to the camp.

Upon returning, she found that the celebration was still happening, and it was lively. She noticed a few Noxian soldiers mingling with the others. Apparently these few snuck out of Noxus to join the festivities, for they had no inherent hate for the Freljordians, but have a small distates for the Demacians. Ashe sat down on a log by the bonfire and rested her chin on her hand. She stared into the fire and thought about how Tryndamere and Garen would be. In the meantime, she smiled for her people.

The next day was spent burying the dead, and the sun rose and set many times before the joint army disbanded and returned to their homes. The Demacians are now sending multiple search parties for Garen, and Ashe told her people to rest easy while Tryndamere was away. Noxus felt relaxed now that their borders were free from the foreign armies. Jayce decided to stick with the Demacians for a while longer, and he kept Lux and Annie company in Garen's absence.

The heat of the glaring sun made the walk back to Demacia difficult. Jarvan led the remaining Demacians on horseback, and once the guards saw the Demacian contingent, they opened the gates. Demacian citizens gathered in the streets to greet the returning soldiers, and some are presented a harsh truth after seeing that their loved ones did not return. Jarvan returned to the palace with Shyvana, and Jayce escorted Lux and Annie into the Crownguard home. Lux was rather worried for her brother, since he disappeared without saying goodbye to her. The last she saw of him was when he was being patched up. However, she resumed her duties in the Academy a few days later. She got Annie a badge which she could use to access Demacian facilities.

As Lux gave Annie a kiss on the forehead before leaving the house, Jayce sighed as Annie would stand at the door until Lux disappeared around the corner then go watch some television.

"She's like a single mother," Jayce commented. He wasn't really talking to anyone but himself.

Jayce stayed at the Crownguard residence to watch Annie until Lux got back. Sometimes, Annie would help Jayce as he tinkered around with his hammer. He noticed that Demacia was in perfect condition, and the robots and Heimerdinger had already left for Piltover. Jayce would sometimes call Caitlyn and let her know how things were in Demacia, but she would always ask when he will come back. Jayce would say that she should count this as his vacation.

One night, Lux came home with a bag of food she got from a restaurant, and they would all eat at the table as if Jayce was Demacian, and not from Piltover. Jarvan even gave him a complimentary suit of armor from the Dauntless Vanguard, just in case Jayce had any intention of serving in the Demacian Armed Forces while he was here. Of course, they wouldn't force it upon him since he was not a Demacian citizen. As they ate dinner, they would crack jokes or just talk about their days. Jayce felt the feeling of family with the two girls, and he started to have the notion of wanting a family of his own. Everything was fine, but when the city slumbers, Jayce could sense Lux awake, just looking off into the distance as she awaited her brother's return.

Meanwhile, in Noxus, Darius and Katarina were sitting at a bar, taking shots and talking to each other. In the background, Talon was playing darts with Draven. When they were done with a round, Draven went to his brother and nudged him with his elbow.

"Hey, bro, did you hear?" Draven asked.

"What?" Darius replied.

"They say that Garen's missing."

"Good. We don't need him in this world," Darius said before downing a shot.

"You're not about to go out there and look for him, are you?" Talon asked Katarina.

Katarina remained silent, thinking about Garen's current condition until she noticed that all eyes were on her. She scoffed and took a shot, "Of course not. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

Darius and Draven laughed, then proceeded to wrestle each other as to who would get to play darts next, and Talon sat beside Katarina. All in all, everything was back to normal, or so it would seem.

On a cloudy afternoon, Jarvan received a letter with the seal of Freljord. He opened the letter and began to read it, but the contents shocked him to the point where his grip ripped the parchment. He grew furious and ripped the letter apart, then threw them on the ground. Shyvana inquired what seemed to be the problem, but Jarvan gave no reply. He just stormed out of the palace. Shyvana picked up a piece of the paper and read what was on it.

"...were found dead," Shyvana recited. That was all on the piece of paper. Shyvana worried that Garen might have been the subject of that sentence.

A few days passed and Jarvan arrived with Ashe at the site where they found Garen and Tryndamere's band of 50 dead. They were grotesquely mangled, their blood splattered across the ground. There were very distinct symbols drawn with the fallen people's blood, and there was only one explanation for them. Void. Jarvan took a few moments to comprehend how this could have happened, and it was Ashe's scream that broke his trance. He ran to her and saw why she screamed. On a tree was Tryndamere's body pinned with his sword, and a blood trail nearby. The trail seemed to have stopped at certain parts, but it stretched to about 10 meters from Tryndamere's spot, and there lay Garen propped up against a rock.

Jarvan sighed then closed his eyes as he knelt beside Garen's body. He checked for a pulse, but found none. Jarvan carried Garen with all his strength and laid him down on the clearing where they lined up all the dead bodies. Ashe tried to hold back her tears, and her shoulders trembled as she looked at the dead bodies of the two men she held dear, as if expecting them to rise and pretend it was all a prank. Jarvan's face showed his sadness and his anguish. His eyes trained at the pale and lifeless body of his childhood friend and closest comrade. Quinn stood towards the back with Valor perched on her arm, and though they were not very close with Garen, they still felt sadness for the death of one of their own. Jarvan stood up and assisted Ashe in holding her own weight. He then wrapped his arms around her. Even though both were royalty, they were still people, and they were still subject to emotion.

The Avarosan people gathered with the Demacians as they watched the two League Champions, Garen and Tryndamere, be placed into stasis to preserve their bodies. This acted as their funeral, and each champion returned to their homeland. Ashe would stay up late just sitting by Tryndamere, and Lux would do the same for Garen. They spoke to no one, and spent most of their time just being around their beloved dead. The two would shed tears, and mourn for days. In Freljord, Ashe's mourning put a detriment to her power as queen, so Anivia acted as a regent while Ashe was mourning. In Demacia, Lux would hug her knees and cry into her lap. Jayce and Annie would comfort her, and Jayce now took care of Annie.

Jarvan took Shyvana as he stormed the Institute of War and demanded everyone's attention. He pointed out that Void monsters have been going rampant around Valoran, and Void champions were present in their ranks. He also pointed out that two League Champions have died, and there was still no intervention from the Institute of War. Kayle tried to calm the furious prince, but Jarvan would take none of it.

"I am sick of your delay! If you could intervene between Demacia and Noxus, surely you could intervene against a threat that is destroying without preference, am I right?" Jarvan said.

"Yes, but being mad and screaming at us about it is not getting you anywhere," Kayle replied.

Jarvan suddenly grabbed the collar of Kayle's armor and shook her once, "My lifelong friend and most trusted ally died trying to stop this menace and you're telling me I shouldn't be mad?!"

Kayle sighed, then lay a hand on Jarvan's wrist, "It's not that we don't want to intervene. It's that we cannot intervene. Our researchers gathered a strange artifact, and it is blocking anything magical from entering or exiting the Institute. Have you noticed there hasn't been a battle at the Fields of Justice for a while now?"

Jarvan released Kayle, "Where is this artifact?" he asked.

"It's at the center," Kayle said, showing Jarvan the way, "We can't touch it for some reason. It turns ephemeral once anything gets near it.

Jarvan walked up to a small podium where the artifact was located, and it was levitating in a ray of light. He noticed that the artifact looked like a part of Valoran, and it was broken in a fashion where it required two more pieces to be complete. Jarvan had the artifact that Garen kept with him and he held it up to the artifact on the podium. As if drawn with magnetic force, the artifact flew out of Jarvan's hand and began levitating where it fits the broken circle. Suddenly, the ground shook and dust fell from the ceiling. Jarvan, Shyvana and Kayle walked outside and saw hordes of Void monsters, much like what the Demacians and Freljordians fought at Noxus. They were storming in the direction of Freljord.

"You must hurry. Gather every man you can spare and chase after those vile creatures," Kayle advised.

Jarvan promptly left and returned to Demacia with Shyvana. Upon their arrival, they called out what was left of the Dauntless Vanguard, as well as a majority of the Elite Guard. They all were ready to fight within half an hour, and they all made haste to leave for Freljord. Jarvan had requested Jayce to join the battle as an honorary member of the Dauntless Vanguard, and Lux was in charge of the defenses in Demacia.

Xin Zhao and the Honor Guard made the Palace secure in the absence of the Demacian army, and the Academy acted as the guardsmen of the city-state. Jarvan has executed total war against the void, and has promptly moved all the manpower he could spare.

Up in the North, at the Avarosan defense line, Ashe led her people against the rampaging void army. They had come from the south, and it was evident that these were newly spawned creatures, as a majority of them were never seen before. Ashe flipped her hair and fired the first arrow, which signified the start of the icy rain of arrows onto the invaders. Luckily, the Winter's Claw agreed to help the Avarosans. If they did not fight off this menace, then what would remain of their homeland? The past mattered not in this current problem, and Sejuani led her forces alongside Olaf and Volibear as they charged head on into the creatures of the void. The ferocious, battle-hardened warriors proved a surprise to the void, but they soon learned to adapt, and began to fight on equal terms.

"Ashe!" Sejuani called out from outside the barricade.

"What is it?" Ashe replied, leaning over the wall to see Sejuani.

"Where are your foreign friends?" Sejuani asked, almost in a sarcastic tone.

Ashe was silent for a bit as she ordered another volley into the enemy ranks, "Let us rely on our own strength," she said.

Sejuani rode off with her boar after those words. It was their key to go wild, show these invaders what true strength was. The power of the Iceborn flew through the Winter's Claw as they ripped and chopped apart their enemies with fervor, but they were too fired up to notice they have been receiving heavy losses in their numbers. They were few in numbers, but they were strong. Their Avarosan counterparts are not as strong in fighting. The battle waged on for a few hours before the Freljordians had to retreat, and their first line of defense was broken.

Meanwhile, in Ionia, Irelia led many of her people against the invading void presence. Irelia had asked Karma for the full support of the island, and many have already fallen. Soraka's healing abilities saved as much as she could, and Lee Sin protected those in need while driving back the enemy. Irelia was in the frontlines, and Varus picked off enemy by enemy with his arrows, occasionally sending a more powerful arrow through multiple people. Udyr attacked with the strength of nature, and Karma assisted in defense. The blood of their people soaked the ground, and each comrade who fell inspired the Ionians to fight back with more zeal. The Kinkou order was there to fight as well. Shen ensured that the enemies focused on himself instead of the weaker countrymen of his. Akali used her shroud to stealthily attack key targets in the void army, and Kennen unleashed heavy lightning storms on the enemy. Zed and his shadows acted independently, fighting away from the main Ionian force and killing for himself. Syndra also fought independently, seeing the void invasion to be an opportunity to use her abilities at her current maximum potential, so she may improve and be stronger.

There were some who fought that were aspiring champions, but have either been deferred by the League or have been rejected. One was Tachi, the Sword of Spirits. He was a veteran of the Noxian invasion, and he had been called upon once more to aid in the defense of Ionia. He fought alongside Irelia, slaying monster after monster. His blades were coated in the blood of his foes, and his feet submerged in the blood of his comrades. It was a bloody battle, almost as chaotic as the Noxian invasion with everyone around him dying, and the screams of death or the yells of encouragements filled his ears. His only shining light was the spirits that flew around him, as well as Irelia's voice as she called out orders throughout the battle. As in Freljord, the battle lasted several hours before the Ionians had to retreat.

In Noxus, Darius and Talon were in the thick of the battle, and Katarina deftly maneuvered around the battlefield to eliminate enemies. Swain was morphed and was stealing the life essences of the creatures with his flock of birds. Draven threw his bouncing axes with joy from the backline, and it seemed that the Noxians had help from Zaunite mercenaries, just like the invasion of Ionia. Singed and Warwick lay waste to the void ranks with their unorthodox way of fighting. So far, Noxus had been the most successful in warding off the void rampage from trampling on their city.

However, in Demacia, Xin Zhao and the Honor Guard fought desperately to keep the Void creatures from breaching the walls. Lux and the Academy magicians enchanted Demacia with a magic barrier to help Xin Zhao, but without the bulk of Demacia's Army, they were fighting an uphill battle. Many volatile, self-destructing creatures were hurled at Demacia's barriers, and the resilient magicians reinforced the barrier more than they thought was necessary. The Honor Guard formed a phalanx and held the line against the overwhelming monsters.

Demacia had the worst results out of all the city-states. They had to call everyone into the keep, and placed all the women and children in the underground caverns that served as the last safe haven on Demacia. Jarvan III had ordered all able bodied men to take up arms and help in the defense. The Academy's magicians were relocated to the caverns for remote defense and magic barriers around the cavern system. Vayne and Sona stayed with the people in the caverns, Poppy led a whole regiment of the militia in fighting on ground level.

As Xin Zhao thrusted his spear into an enemy, he found that someone was fighting off the void. The figure was did not look Demacian, and resembled the dark sky at night. His sword was as dark as obsidian, and the white fur that covered one his pauldrons gave off the aura of a high rank. His observations were cut short when the sudden roar of a void creature made his eardrums ring. His heartbeat echoed throughout his body, and everything moved in slow motion as he dodged the enemy's claw. He responded with a deft stab, and the Honor Guard moved up to reclaim lost ground. Xin stood back to look at what had happened to Demacia. Many of it's buildings were in ruins, like the bombing not too long ago. The ruins were degrading as some acidic liquid was splattered onto them, and the corpses by their feet made walking difficult. As Xin looked at the sky, he felt droplets of rain hit his face, and soon a downpour followed. The raindrops clanked as they collided with his metal pauldrons, and his feet became submerged in the mixed substances of rain and blood.

As a bright flash came from the sky, Xin looked up. To his surprise, it was not lightning. Rather, an extremely large sword came falling and destroyed the infrastructure in the area it landed. It may have caused damage to the city, but it also prevented the void onslaught from marching straight into the keep. Xin knew that there was only one person capable of doing such a reckless maneuver, but that man was supposedly dead. As the smoke from pulverized buildings faded out, Xin saw the hulking black armor and the pale white skin of Garen. His footsteps voided life around him while his presence was close, and the feeling of death enveloped his body. Garen took a cursory glance at his handiwork, then turned his frosty gaze to Xin. The Honor Guard captain stood in awe, however he quickly made the Honor Guard retreat and ensure security. As Xin approached Garen, a sudden pool of dark energy appeared on the ground and arose Morgana from behind Garen.

"Splendid work, my dreadknight," Morgana said, before wrapping her arms around Garen. The latter kept a straight gaze, "Now, let's get you more things to kill, hm?" Morgana spread her wings and flew into the clouds, Garen in tow.

Xin did not quite comprehend what had just happened in front of him, but he knew that Demacia was safe... for now.


End file.
